10 Youtube Videos to Learn about Thanksgiving

- November 13, 2018

Next week is Thanksgiving! All of our regular homeschool activities will be cancelled, so I'll have a whole 3 days to fill with seasonal fun. I'm sure there are lots of things I could gather for the holiday, but I decided to do videos because my kids love them. Dragonfly (age 7) enjoyed helping me screen these videos and put together this list of historically accurate (as far as I know) videos of the Pilgrims, Wampanoags, and the first Thanksgiving. I'm hoping that this list gives homeschoolers and teachers lots of jumping off places for their own good discussions.

17th Century English Village

Adults at Plymouth Village talk about the structure and defense of the town, how the houses were built, and the pilgrim way of life. A solder talks about his armor and weapons, a man addresses tools of the time, and a woman talks about home life and gardening. I'm sure your kids will have many questions after watching this video.

Scholastic Virtual Field Trip

This video is a discussion between some historical actors from the Plymouth village and a moderator. It's a bit dry and would be better suited for teens and adults. It contains a lot of the same information as the other videos.

Wampanoag Village Tour

Most stories of Thanksgiving only talk about the Wampanaog tribe in the context of how they helped the Pilgrims. This video gives an interesting look at life in the village, how their houses were set up, children's toys, and their clothing. People of all ages will be fascinated by the demonstration of how they built their canoes. It would make a good learning project too!

History of the First Thanksgiving

The pictures in this video are beautiful and calming. The tone is slightly religious, but not overtly. Once again, I think the interest level would be a bit on the older age range. While the other videos focus on life in the Pilgrim village, this video looks more at their motivation for leaving and the Mayflower.

Pilgrim Life

Children at the Plymouth Colony to 16th century chores and play games to show modern kids how life looked during that time period. This one is also done by Scholastic, which was surprising to me. My kids enjoyed watching them interact with each other and their parents.

The Wampanoag Way

Similar to the Pilgrim video above, this video two modern Wampanoag girls in their 21st century life and their 16th century village. See them make jewelry, grind food, and spend time with their parents. It's a good compliment to the Pilgrim video and the Village Tour from above.

Crash Course History- When is Thanksgiving?

This video is directed at middle school age kids and above. It contains a bit of language and crudeness, but it's interesting and covers more topics than the basic happy Pilgrim story. I recommend the entire series for older kids.

The History of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

This video sort of reminds me of the parade scene in Jingle All the Way, as it shows you what happens behind the scenes of the big event. I love seeing the old balloons, the costumes, bits of historic parades, and more. It's fun to watch everyone rehearse the marching bands, balloon puppeteering, and how they deal with problems. If you're family are fans of the 34th Street Miracle, then you'll enjoy this special documentary. I also found a 1959 Macy's Parade recording if historical parades interest you.

How Cranberry Jelly is Made

My family makes fun of me, ,but the jelled cranberries are one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. Did you know that it takes 16 months for cranberries to ripen? I learned that in this video! Find out more about the American berry and share what else you know in the comments below.

How Canned Pumpkin is Made