Local preschool learns about Thanksgiving
On Nov. 20, students at the Sunny Day Preschool in Huntington performed their annual Thanksgiving program for their parents. Teacher Carol Ann Stream played the role of Chief Fast Moving Stream of the village and explained to the crowd that the students have been studying Native American culture and how Thanksgiving came to be.
The students made their costumes and drums which they wore while they performed songs for the audience. The annual Thanksgiving show is performed in Stream’s back yard which is fully equipped with a tepee and pictographs on the wall.
At the conclusion of the program, the students were encouraged to have their parents remove their students’ pictograph.
The students made necklaces, one out of seeds and the other a bear claw necklace with beads. They fashioned drums out of oatmeal containers. They performed seven dances for their parents including 10 Little Indians. They marched and danced around the tepee and sang Thanksgiving songs.
Chief Stream said, “Throughout the entire month of November we studied Indians and being thankful. The crafts went along with this unit as well. We made necklaces, drum covers, headbands, and vests and on them the children drew items that the Indians had or used. The children ground up Indian corn with a rock, as they talked about what the Indians ate. They each brought a vegetable and they made ‘Indian Stew’ which the children ate with corn bread muffins. Wearing the headbands with the real feather in them made the meal complete. The feathers were donated by Patsy Allred. The children learned about pictographs and made one themselves. The parents cut out the part their child drew and took it home at the end of the Indian Dance. The children performed songs, poems and dances. Everything that the children wore were items they made. The music was authentic Indian music given to Chief Stream by the late Tillie Winder. The students were also encouraged to perform for their friends and relatives at their own Thanksgiving celebration at home.”