How much do you know about the Mayflower, Pilgrims, and Wampanoag Indians? Here are some interesting facts about them.

Before the Pilgrims hired her, the Mayflower was in the wine trade with France; before that, she was in the fish trade with Norway.

It took the Mayflower 66 days to reach Massachusetts.

There was one baby born during the crossing of the Mayflower and he was named Oceanus Hopkins.

The Pilgrims landed at Provincetown, MA, at the tip of Cape Cod, on November 11, 1620. Since the land was not good for farming, they moved to Plymouth.

To eat, the Pilgrims used a knife, spoon, a large napkin, and fingers...no forks. They also shared plates and drinking vessels.

In the Pilgrim household, the adults sat down to dinner and the children waited on them.

Lobsters, clams, and mussels were considered "hard rations" when the food supply was low. Many Pilgrims thought that lobsters were fit only for pigs!

The turkey was familiar poultry in England. It was brought to Europe 100 years earlier by the Spanish.

There were only four married women who survived the first harsh winter from 1620-1621. They supervised the food preparations for the three-day harvest feast for the 50 colonists, Chief Massasoit, and the 90 Indians who attended. That event became known as "the first Thanksgiving."

Pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce were not eaten at the first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims did eat roast wild fowl such as duck, goose, and turkey; corn meal; cod; sea bass; and venison brought by the Indians.

Massasoit in the Wampanoag language means "Great Leader." His real name was Ousamequin or "Yellow Feather."

The Wampanoag Indians of southeast Massachusetts were the people who befriended the Pilgrims. Their name means "People of the Dawn" and they continue to live on Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and inland.

With the severe weather the world has been experiencing, now is a good time to reflect on all the positives in your life. Write them down to keep as a reference when times are rough! Sometimes, seeing them in print is an eye-opener; you might be surprised how long that list can get if you add all the little things. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!

I hope these ideas have been useful and have inspired your own creative thinking.

And remember...Reading is FUNdamental!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Freda J. Glatt, MS, retired from teaching after a 34-year career in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Her focus, now, is to reach out and help others reinforce reading comprehension and develop a love for reading. Visit her site at http://www.sandralreading.com. Reading is FUNdamental!