Pilgrim Pupils Prevail In Hubbard Woods Thanksgiving Tradition

WINNETKA, IL — Three classes of Winnetka second graders this week got the opportunity to take a make-believe Mayflower journey. It's a longstanding tradition at Hubbard Woods Elementary, according to District 36 Communications Coordinator Kate Hughes. Every year around the Thanksgiving holiday, students act out the voyage of the Pilgrims by assembling their own version of the 17th century ship and saying farewell to their families before "setting sail" across the Atlantic.

While preparing for the "journey to the New World," students work together to "build the ship" while also making sea creatures, travel bags, journals and suitcases of everything they'd need on their journey.

Kids also research the stories of the passengers and events of the journey before the culmination of the program – when students get to spend two days "on the ship" Monday and Tuesday.

Each student is assigned the identity of a particular Pilgrim individual. Then, in the immersive experience, students learn by doing while experiencing the life of Pilgrims at sea.

The little voyagers learn about nautical terms and navigation, as well as eating food and playing games the Pilgrims would have also experienced.

At one point this week, a teacher notified the children there was a "stowaway on board" and asked if the class knew what the term meant, said Hughes.

"A stove that you can cook," one suggested.

"Where you stole stuff away in one big spot," proposed another.

The students eventually guessed correctly on their own, Hughes said.

_{Photos: Students from Hubbard Woods Elementary | Courtesy District 36}