I don't see anything wrong with doing both. On the one hand, the children get to experience an enjoyable feast/celebration with their classmates and teachers. A class feast may introduce diverse cultural customs/foods a lesson in itself-- all the while learning about a historic event and the reason and purpose of why we celebrate Thanksgiving.
The children may also learn to spread this "Thankfullness" by sharing and contributing to the less fortunate in the community (food baskets). The biggest lesson should be that sharing/caring and being thankful for all of our many blessings is something that should be practiced often and not only during the holidays.

I beleive that making baskets for the needy is a great idea. The idea should spread to all schools. Children learn what caring and sharing is all about that way. And we need more of that everywhere. Every holiday should involve something where the needy are concerned.

this is what careing is all about,those childrens should be pround.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a Thanksgiving celebration AND gathering food for those who are struggling. Our school collected food last week to make baskets for those in need. Tomorrow, they will celebrate with another kindergarten class. My daughter's class will be the Pilgrims and the other class will be the Native Americans. It's not elaborate. They are having Friendship Stew, cornbread and they're going to make their own butter! Simple, fun, educational and helping those in need.

Eccentric,

What a fantastic idea!

im for having thanksgiving feast in school,i think its a good way to show kids how to be thankful.my daughtes school had a turkey dinner at school last wed.i went to school and ate with her and we went back to class and made pilgram hats and indian feathers and the teacher ask us parents to tell about how we celbrated thanksgiving,and the children were really interested in learning about how diffrent people celebrate this holiday.i think all schools should allow thanksgiving feast at schools.it allows kids to know the true meaning of this holiday.

I'm definitely for having a Thanksgiving feast for children at school. It's a nice way for the kids to celebrate Thanksgiving in a traditional way. Also I think by having a Thanksgiving feast it will make their Thanksgiving celebration more fun and festive.

Just a quick update on those baskets we've been making at the school. We collected all the canned goods for the food basket along with some kind of cookies for dessert. Salvation army wanted to put one turkey with each basket. The Salvation army told us that there is so much need for this food this year, but they haven't really received much. Hence, these baskets were much appreciated.

3rd grade students made Thanksgiving cards with personal messages for families who will be receiving those baskets. Among the 3 third grade classes, we were able to make 40 complete baskets (some still coming in!)...imagine 40 needy families will be so happy on Thanksgiving! Cheers guys!

At my children school, they have a can drive for donations, I haven't heard of any feast for Thanksgiving at their school.

I explained to my kids the reason why Thanksgiving is celebrated. I am not against having a Thanksgiving feast, but I agree with eccentric, in making food baskets for the needed.

chinkrandolph,i agree with you totally about thanksgiving.you are doing a wonderful thing for thanksgiving.there are so many people who have nothing and so many who dont have anything to eat are even have familys.godbless you.you are trulely a caring person,i wish there were more people like you.every thanksgiving and christmas my family goes to shelters and help serve thanksgiving and christmas dinner to those in need.may you have a wonderful holiday.debra

The true meaning of Thanksgiving is to be thankful for what you have and what you are about to be bless with.I`m so very thankful for my freedom of giving thanks to Almighty God, and to teach my children to be thankful also,we the Randolph family will be opening our home for anyone who want`s to have dinner with us, also we will be helping our church to feed the people in our community ALL ARE INVITED.

The activities at my kids' school is not that focused or centralized. I am still trying to get past the vague response I got from the school administrators about how Thanksgiving is presented. I would much rather have it be a harvest season type of thing instead of Thanksgiving.

www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr040.shtml

I think its great to have a feast in honor of Thanksgiving. It is always nice to be thankful and remember the pilgrims. Its history and tradition. Kids enjoy parties too. I also like the idea of making baskets for families in need. why not do both?

I've heard of schools that do a historically correct Thanksgiving feast-- eel pie, stewed pumpkin, that kind of thing. They play games that the Piligrims would have played and sometimes a kid or two will pretend to fall over dead (for the historical accuracy, doncha know).

The kids would have to do a lot of research to really get anything out of it though. Probably more for 5th and 6th graders than for little ones.

I'm for having a feast at school for Thanksgiving. It is a time when parents and the students can get together. The school my children attend, has a school play about Thankgiving, which all the students participate in. After the play has finished, the students assist with serving the food that was prepared.

i am not against having a thanksgiving feast at school,but some children parents are not able to attend, so collecting food goods and donations to give to charitable organization everyone can participate, this way it involves everyone and no children have to sit down and eat thanksgiving at school along.

Yes, Thanksgiving is about everyone sharing in our Freedom and hope,,, all children should be taught that we are all family, "under G-d, indivisbible...."

We are having a grocery bingo. You spend 10.00 and the PTO is making up 25 bags of groceries. Every time you bingo you win a bag of groceries.

The school I worked at did the same thing. We also delivered the Thanksgiving baskets to the homes of our students. We also had parent volunteers who made the feast and all enjoyed this wonderful meal, however it was done before Thanksgiving.

I think is also great to donate for families in need, or make a special basket from donations.

I think is a great thing to do, yummy, I love to eat, is a special time you spend with your children.

What is Local Food Pantry? Do they have them in every county? I may want to get my kids to help this year.

My son's private school always has a big expensive feast that we the parents must pay for. They send a letter home with the statement, "If you need financial assistance, please let us know." Well what if I just feel this is a stupid unecessary expense? I love the idea of putting the money toward creating food baskets for needy families instead. I am going to write the school principle immediately and propose it.

I think it is fantastic when school's can share a piece of history and holiday's with children. I know in our school they teach the children everything. It is important for our children to know and learn about different things that people do and share.

All of the replies are great. My child's school actually prepared a feast in 4th grade. A turkey was donated and teachers built a pit and began roasting it about 2 AM for an 11 AM meal. In the morning the 4th grade classes put together dishes to complement the meal. This of coarse was to duplicate the Piligrims meal but the kids enjoyed preparing and sharing the meal. I agree with sharing food with a local food pantry or gift baskets to families in need. In 6th grade my child's 6 class began collecting pennies and nickels in huge jars the week after school started. All money was collected, counted by Novemeber 15 and given to the local food pantry. A visit to a food pantry really opened my child's eyes about the need to share and think of others neeeds in this world.

While this school feast may be a great idea for schools with most low income families, its a waste of food for wealthy school like eccentrics school. God bless your heart for sharing yours with those who are less fortunate eccentric. If I had money and my kids were going to a school like yours I would definately do the same instead of wasting food at school knowing most of the kids have it all at home. I hate seeing food going to wast yet I would like to see those who are less fortunate to have a good meal. So if your school kids needs it then you should do it otherwise make baskets. My husband and I dont have money but last thanksgiving and christmas we made sandwiches and went out to feed homeless in our area. My kids loved doing it and looking forward to it this year.

Both!

Your idea is similar to what we have in our school district. My daughter's school counselor request check from parents to help some of our special families.The counselor prefers giving out check to these families and almost everyone loves it, the givers and the receivers. Also, my daughter and other children help donate food to our local food pantry. The local food pantry is the major food supply for our school district special families especial ly for the past several months.

My son's catholic school is big in giving to families in need. It is a free will to donate food and cash. My son donate food once a month and he feels so proud of this important job. Last month, my son requested twelve can of peanut butter and he got what he wanted. As a catholic tradition, they have a list of families for these gifts.

My son's class will have a class party during lunch period and my daughter's class is yet to decide.

Yes, if it is a party for children to enjoy themselves. No, if the feasts get on the way of instruction or too much work for teachers and parents.

The Thanksgivings celebration in our home will include relaxing, eating, sharing with others, and counting our tons of blessing. I hope to visit food pantry with my children. My daughter enjoyed the visit last time.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea.

I think it is an excellent way to bring home the message about thankfulness and sharing. Since when is healthy food a bad thing?

kayrom1:

I don't believe we deprived anybody last year. ALL parents from our 2nd grade unanimously agreed on not having that feast. Our teacher agreed with us at the time, while other parents from the other 2 grade classes still wanted to go ahead. We still had stone soup in the class, and all children brought vegetables to make the soup together. In fact, the Principal of the school has thanked me for the "basket drive" at the school.

To answer second part of your post, I feel that your concern is not legitimate! Both my husband and I are very highly educated, so are most of the people we know around us. We are blessed by the grace of God. We enjoy fine things in life and are very well traveled. I don't believe that NOT having a feast at the school at all translates into "being uncomfortable with our prosperity." If at all, it reflects our sensitivity to others. I wish and hope my children learn to be this sensitive while they enjoy their good luck! Cheers.

I think this is great! since my daughter and i are going to be all alone for thanksgiving this year. think that they need to get the families involved when it is approperiate

Your plan to do baskets is a good one, since this year ALL the parents agreed to do the same thing. Last year, you punished one class by not allowing them to do what the other classes did, which I don't think was a good idea.

When all the classes in one grade are on the same page for things like this, I think it works better. All the kids get the same message, which is important.

I'm somewhat concerned, however, by your apparent discomfort with the level of prosperity in your community. Don't ever put down someone (or beat yourself up) for having a good education or for being successful in life. It's what most people aspire to, and it is something to be shared, not to be ashamed of. Teach your children to enjoy their bounties, and best of all, to share them with others.

i think its a wonderful thing to let the kids have a thanksgiving feast at school.wheather everybody believes in this holiday are not. it lets people show thanks for what they are thankful for. im all for that. was this helpful

I don't have a problem with it at all.

buck...thanks! :)

eccentric,
What a wonderful way to celebrate! The way you have the children involved is great!

Well, if your school has students from less priviledged homes, it makes sense for parents to organize a feast/meal for the kids. Most of the students in 3rd grade at my school (this feast was only for 3rd grade) come from well off families. All parents unanimously agreed on NOT having that feast. Instead, we are already in the process of making baskets. Children have been given a list of what to buy so that children are invloved in the process. Students are also writing notes for families wishing then "Happy Thanksgiving"... We will have somthing little to eat together in the classroom and that's it!

I think it is an excellent idea.

I think it's a neat idea to let the kids have a Thanksgiving feast. Lot's of children from low income neighborhoods may not get to experience Thanksgiving in the traditional since without doing something at school. As long as nothing religious is interjected into it, I would say go for it.

I agree, what is the true meaning? My family always celebrated this holiday as a day of togetherness, and good eats! We would say our prayer of thanks that we could all come together again and share this meal...

Thanksgiving means different things to different people. Encouraging the kids to give to those who are less fortunate then they are is awesome. However, I do not see how there missing out is fair?

Since a lot of low income children attend my son's school they encourage food and clothing donations years round. Every pay day my son brings in some canned goods and when he grows that inch he takes in gently used clothes in. We should be teaching children that "giving" is something they should do whenever they can.

I think its nice to have a thanksgiving feast at school. I would hope that the children are educated on the meaning of Thanksgiving I know mine are. The baskets of food was a really good idea.

i dont think is bad to have a thanksgiving feast at school.

I don't think that kids eating a Thanksgiving meal at school could have any adverse consequences on their normal holiday meal.

We had the Thanksgiving Feast before Thanksgiving. It was prepared by the wonderful volunteer moms & dads. The children dressed up (grades 1-3) If some students didn't have an outfit made by mom, gram to wear we made them from items given to us by other parents so know student was left out. Every classroom had a different way of a childs thankfulness for what the day represented. We also were understanding of others beliefs, but always found a way to include children that did not celebrate Thanksgiving.

Thanks buckaroo you make a lot of good sence in what you are writing on this page.I don't believe in wasteing food but I look at it this way.in this thanksgiving feast dinner it will be some kids that will eat all or most of their food.and if it's just one child that eat all his or her food it's worth it.Thank God that America has food to waste,and really that won't go to waste because I know we have pets that love to eat.lol so look at the positive side of it a child will eat a thanksgiving dinner at school and may not eat again untill monday morning at school breakfast.

Eccentric,

It sounds like your feast was the victim of good intentions once the mom got a restaurant got involved. Ours has always been a simple affair with parents bringing just enough food for the kids in attendance as the culmination of the unit that starts with Columbus (and Columbus Day) and goes through Thanksgiving. No turkey--we substitute mini chicken wings. They're much more 5-year-old friendly. What little was left over, the volunteer moms ate a table within earshot, but far enough away to let them have fun. I still have photos in my screen saver of the Pilgrims, Indians, and turkeys and they're priceless.

If there were food left over in those quantities, I love the idea of finding a food kitchen to donate it to.

As for what gets thrown out at the schools' lunches, my understanding is the federal laws mandate the food be given (milk, etc), but everyone on the yard will tell you that no one can force a kid to eat it. It's one of the main reasons my daughter brings her lunch every day (and brings back what she doesn't). I can figure out what NOT to pack.

rbtfruiii,
The "feasts" at school are not actually ON Thanksgiving, as school is not in session.... it would be done a day or two BEFORE the actualy holiday. It would have to be a BIG feast for your child to not be hungry a day later. Thus one does not negate the other.

AGAINST! Why, well it is because I have always shared that meal with my friends and family. I'm not saying its wrong in every situation but mothers and fathers as well as grandparents who slave away in preparing for this special meal and then to have it served at school without the families beliefs being observed seems like a slap in the face "to me". Not to mention the feelings of those parents and grandparents when that child comes home and has no appetite for that special meal they have prepared. Some may say that I'm making to much out of this but it is just the way I feel.

buckaroo,
The school staff didn't cook anything at all! The food was all donated by parents. One of the parents got food donated by one of the restaurants as well. It was wasted because children were given Turkey, mashed potatoes, pies, beans, mixed vegetables, cookies, many other desserts and drinks. Most of the children never finished their food. Infact, plates filled with food were thrown away in the trash! Later on, I volunteered to wrap up the food that was still in the dishes for a soup kitchen, while I wasn't even part of the feast!
The other waste I see everytime I go in the lunch room is food thrown away everyday by these kids...sometimes unopened milk cartons and yogurt! When I talked to the Principal, she said they were not allowed to save on that food! Michigan has suffered the most in this economy, and yet some of us still continue with the patterns we've followed without thinking about millions of other who may not have much to eat. I can go on and on as you know but we have a meeting after school today. I have already convinced the rest to not have a large feast. Perhaps, we'll settle for something small! :)

I know at my kids schools, they would actually make paper pilgrim and indian costumes (their choice) and then get their "harvest meal" at lunchtime. The emphasis was always on the original Thanksgiving meal.

eccentric,
Was it that the school cooked too much food that made it wasteful? I'm still not sure why you thought it was wasteful. If it was just too much food, perhaps the cooking staff just needs to estimate better. If they estimate poorly for that do they waste food every day at lunch?

Why can'nt we try to do both because their are children at school that this is their only thanksgiving meal.If they belive or not in thanksgiving, it is a meal they would not have that is big and different than the everyday lunch so let the children enjoy do not fight over food.I am glad you want to share thats what it is thanksgiving. That is a big part of it, Giving.

It all depends weather the families came out to eat at the school.if parents and kids came out I am for it to let them eat and take some home if anything is left.you will be suprise a lot of kids don't get a good meal at home even when you give them baskets of food to prepare for their own kids.some kids don't have sister's or brother's to eat with and they can eat with a friend.I don't really worry about the parents I care about the kids and want them to get a good thanksgiving meal and fellowship with their classmates.
I think it's a good ideal just don't fix so much food next time.

According to the my son's third grade teacher, the syllabus includes quite a lot of information on Pilgrims and Indians. They have been taught since kindergarten and they will keep learning more. Last year, while our second grade teacher made "stone soup" in the class, and all children shared that soup together (children brought different vegetables for the stone soup), the other two second grades celebrated Thanksgiving by having a lavish feast in the cafeteria. While I don't think that the harvest celebration between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indian was a waste, the feast at our school certainly was! I'm sorry, but I don't believe that "sharing" of the food one day a year teaches our children anything. Most children at our school come from affluent families. They will go home and have that Turkey (or not!), while many families will go without. The "sharing" of the food could be equally achieved by just having some pumpkin pies (or something simple to eat) in the class while they all make baskets with food. If you'd seen the amout of food that was thrown away last year after that feast, you'll see my way also (or so I hope!)

My kids never did any kind of Thanksgiving class event past elementary school. I doubt anyone is thinking of this as anything happening in grades beyond elementary years.

In my kids' classes the Thanksgiving party was similar to a holiday party for other times of the year. It didn't involve a full-blown turkey dinner-type meal, although the cafeteria usually serves turkey some day during that week. It was mostly a potluck-type of event, with people bringing in different food items to try. I remember one year someone brought in Indian pudding, for example.

True, Thanksgiving is mostly thought of as an American holiday, but Canada has a Thanksgiving in October as well. I think it's an excellent holiday to celebrate as a school community.

First and foremost, it is not a religious holiday, so there should be no one protesting the celebration on that basis. One can be very thankful for what one has without bringing anyone's god into it. That's a private matter, and kids can express their thanks privately in any way they like.

Also, Thanksgiving is an excellent time to teach the lesson of being thankful for what we have on a daily basis, rather than just one day each year. While I don't think Thanksgiving has been all that commercialized (certainly not in relation to Christmas, for example), this is also an opportunity to rise above the commercialization and reinforce the "thankfulness" side of the holiday rather than the "there's a great sale at Macy's" side.

While I agree that having a Thanksgiving feast at school for friendship and food is an excellent experience, logistically, it doesn’t work in all schools. It doesn’t make sense for students going to seven classes a day, and eating a meal in each class, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Teachers probably don’t discuss amongst themselves who will do what each day during the week of Thanksgiving in order to spread the celebration around. If it was a lunch put on by the school on a day before Thanksgiving, then it would make sense. Besides, many kids will celebrate Thanksgiving at home with their families, so the traditional celebration is not lost.

A good point was brought up -- What is the meaning of Thanksgiving? Yes, it means different things to different people. Thanks is given to who? And for what? In addition, Thanksgiving is not celebrated by all, either. It’s typically an American tradition.

It’s unfortunate that even Thanksgiving has become commercialized, which dilutes what it’s all about -- being thankful for what we have and being able to share that bounty with others, family or not. Most importantly, thanks should be given every day, not just one specified day a year.

I know I was thankful to see my kids eating those "surprise" foods at their class feasts! ;-)

I'm with Buck and kayrom1 on this issue.

My son's Kindergarten Thanksgiving meal was 13 years ago, and my daughter's was 2 years ago. They both learned a ton in those lessons leading up to their lunch. Some of them tried foods they're parents swore they wouldn't, because they were caught up in the moment. Speaking as a mom of a proud "Beige Diet" participant, everything she tried that day was worth it because she'd never eat it at home.

I'm not against a food drive, but in my kids' cases Thanksgiving celebration was done as a replacement for lunch. To me, Thanksgiving means together with family, and they're celebrating with their school family, so honestly it's all a good lesson learned.

"What have you done to involve children and make them understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving??"

What exactly is the "true" meaning of Thanksgiving? I would say that it probably means different things to different people.

While putting together food baskets for others is laudable, don't discount the value of children experiencing a Thanksgiving feast as well. At such a feast, children learn about community, thankfulness, and they get to try different foods. There is value in all those experiences as well.

Don't project guilt onto children by telling them they have much to be thankful for then not letting them experience those things (food and friendship in this instance). I would suggest that having a feast as well as putting together a food drive would have more meaning for children, because they are then sharing that which they are thankful for.

I guess I don't see "re-enacting" the harvest celebration between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians as a waste of food. Don't the kids need to eat lunch anyway? This way lunch is also educational.

NOT that I'm berating having a food drive IF the kids are actively involved in packing and delivering the food. My experinece is they just have a box in the office where kids drop off some canned goods. Perhaps having BOTH would be best.

Last year my son's school collected canned goods to be given to needy organizations. Other than that, his individual classrooms didn't do anything special. I don't know at this time what his school plans to do for Thanksgiving. Will keep you posted.

I think your idea of making baskets of food for need families is a great idea. And that giving can continue through the holiday season, as well. Kids are made aware just how lucky they are to be able to help others not as fortunate as they are. You're right about wasting food -- kids eat only a little bit and the rest gets thrown in the trash.

Sorry, but I'm on a roll here. I'm not sure if the local big supermarkets are still doing this, but they used to give free turkeys to shoppers who purchased $100 or more on groceries. If the markets really wanted to help and show support to needy families, they could have donated canned goods instead of turkeys. There are folks out there that don't eat turkey, but could use other foods instead.