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Ep197: Thanksgiving · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours.
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  Welcome to Kit Cast Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today, we're going to explore a holiday that's full of food,
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  family, and fun, Thanksgiving. Whether you celebrate it every
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  year or just want to learn more about it, this episode is packed
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  with interesting facts and easy explanations.
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  So let's get started. Let's begin with the basics.
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  What is Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is a holiday
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  celebrated mostly in the United States and Canada.
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  In the United States, it's always on the 4th Thursday in
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  November. In Canada, it happens earlier on
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  the second Monday in October. Thanksgiving is a special day
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  when people come together to give thanks for what they have.
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  Many families and friends gather for a big meal, share stories
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  and enjoy each other's company. But where did Thanksgiving come
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  from? To answer that, we need to go
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  back almost 400 years to the early 1600s.
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  Back then, a group of people called the Pilgrims left England
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  and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship called the
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  Mayflower. They landed in a place that is
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  now called Plymouth in the state of Massachusetts.
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  The Pilgrims came to America for many reasons, but one big reason
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  was that they wanted to practice their own religion freely.
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  The first winter for the Pilgrims was really tough.
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  They did not have enough food and many people got sick.
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  But things changed when they met Native American people from the
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  Wampanoag tribe. The Wampanoag taught the
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  Pilgrims many important things like how to grow corn, beans,
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  and squash and how to catch fish.
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  With this new knowledge, the Pilgrims had a much better
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  harvest the next year. To celebrate their successful
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  harvest, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared a big meal
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  together in the fall of 1621. This is known as the First
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  Thanksgiving. It lasted for three days and
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  included lots of food and games. Historians believe they ate
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  things like wild Turkey, venison, which is deer meat,
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  corn and seafood. There were no mashed potatoes or
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  pumpkin pie at that first Thanksgiving because potatoes
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  and sugar weren't common in that part of America yet.
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  Did you know that the first Thanksgiving wasn't actually
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  called Thanksgiving by the people who celebrated it?
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  It was just a harvest feast and the name Thanksgiving came
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  later. In fact, the tradition of having
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  a special day to give thanks was common in many cultures around
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  the world even before the Pilgrims.
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  Now let's talk about how Thanksgiving became a national
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  holiday. After the first feast in 1621,
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  people in different colonies sometimes had days of
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  Thanksgiving, but there wasn't one official day for everyone.
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  That changed thanks to a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale.
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  She was a writer and editor who thought the whole country should
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  have a special Thanksgiving Day every year.
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  She wrote letters to presidents, governors and other leaders for
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  17 years. Finally, in 1863, President
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  Abraham Lincoln agreed and made Thanksgiving a national holiday
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  in the United States. He chose the last Thursday in
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  November for the celebration. Here's a fun fact.
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  Sarah Josefa Hale also wrote the nursery rhyme Mary had a little
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  Lamb. So in a way, she helped create
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  two things many people know today.
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  Now let's take a look at some Thanksgiving traditions.
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  The most famous tradition is probably the Thanksgiving meal.
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  Many families gather around a big table and eat Turkey,
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  stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin
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  pie. Some families also serve sweet
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  potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy and rolls.
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  Each family has its own favorite foods and recipes, and sometimes
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  people add their own special dishes.
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  Why do people eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
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  Turkey was not the main dish at the first Thanksgiving, but it
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  soon became popular because wild turkeys were common in America
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  and they were big enough to feed a lot of people.
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  Over time, Turkey became the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving
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  meal. Another tradition is watching
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  parades. The most famous parade is the
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  Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
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  This parade started in 1924 and features giant balloons shaped
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  like cartoon characters, colorful floats, marching bands,
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  and even clowns. Millions of people watch the
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  parade on TV every year. If you've ever seen big balloons
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  shaped like a dog, a bear, or a famous character floating down a
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  city street, you are probably watching the Macy's Thanksgiving
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  Day Parade. Football is also a big part of
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  Thanksgiving for many families. The first Thanksgiving football
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  game was played in 1876 between Yale and Princeton.
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  Now, professional football teams play games every Thanksgiving,
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  and many people enjoy watching them with family and friends
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  after their meal. Did you know that there is a
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  special tradition at the White House each year called the
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  Turkey pardon? Every year, the President of the
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  United States receives a live Turkey and pardons it, which
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  means the Turkey is allowed to live instead being cooked for
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  dinner. The pardon Turkey then gets to
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  live out its life on a farm. This is a lighthearted and fun
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  tradition that started in the late 1900s.
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  Some people also use Thanksgiving as a time to help
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  others. Volunteer groups and community
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  centers organize Thanksgiving meals for people who might not
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  have enough food or family to celebrate with.
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  Many kids and adults volunteer at Food Banks Oregon Donate can
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  goods around this time of year. It's a way to share and make
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  sure everyone in the community can enjoy the holiday.
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  Let's talk about giving thanks, which is the main idea behind
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  Thanksgiving. Giving thanks means showing
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  appreciation for the good things in your life.
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  These can be big things like your family and friends, or
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  small things like a cozy blanket or your favorite snack.
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  Some families go around the table and share what they are
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  thankful for before eating their meal.
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  Others write down things they are thankful for and put them in
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  a thankful jar to read later. Did you know that scientists
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  have found that giving thanks can make people feel happier?
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  When you think about what you are grateful for, it can help
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  you feel more positive and lower your stress.
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  That's one reason why Thanksgiving can be a really
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  special and uplifting day. Now let's travel N to Canada for
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  a moment. Thanksgiving in Canada is
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  similar to the American holiday, but it has its own history.
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  The first Canadian Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1578 when
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  explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew held a ceremony to give
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  thanks for a safe journey. Today, Canadians celebrate
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  Thanksgiving with Turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, just
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  like in the United States, but they do it in October when the
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  harvest season is earlier. Let's have some quick fire
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  Thanksgiving. Did you know facts?
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  Did you know that about 46,000,000 turkeys are eaten in
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  the United States every Thanksgiving?
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  Did you know that cranberries, which are a common Thanksgiving
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  side dish, float in water because they have small air
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  pockets inside them? Did you know that the largest
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  pumpkin pie ever made weighed over £3600?
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  That's heavier than a small car. Did you know that the wishbone
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  of a Turkey is used in a fun Thanksgiving tradition?
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  Two people pull on opposite ends of the wishbone after the meal.
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  Whoever gets the bigger piece is said to have good luck.
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  Did you know that Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel
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  times of the year in the United States?
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  Lots of people travel by car, bus, train or plane to be with
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  their families. Now let's talk about how kids
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  can celebrate Thanksgiving. If you celebrate Thanksgiving,
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  you might help set the table, make decorations, or help cook
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  in the kitchen. You can make crafts like Turkey
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  hats, handprint turkeys, or colorful placemats.
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  Some families play board games or take a walk outside after
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  dinner. Others watch a holiday movie
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  together. No matter how you celebrate, the
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  most important thing is spending time with people you care about.
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  If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, that's OK too.
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  You can still take time to think about what you are thankful for
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  and show appreciation to the people around you.
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  Maybe you can write a thank you note to a friend or teacher or
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  help someone in your community. Being thankful is something
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  everyone can do, no matter where you live or what holidays you
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  celebrate. Let's do a quick recap of what
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  we learned today. Thanksgiving is a holiday about
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  giving thanks and sharing a meal.
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  Mostly celebrated in the United States and Canada, the first
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  American Thanksgiving happened in 1621 when the Pilgrims and
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  the Wampanoag people shared a harvest feast.
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  Thanksgiving became a national holiday in the United States
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  thanks to Sarah Josefa Hale and President Abraham Lincoln.
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  Traditional foods include Turkey, stuffing, mashed
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  potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, but every family
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  has its own favorites. Fun traditions include parades,
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  football games, the Turkey pardon, and making crafts or
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  volunteering to help others. The main idea of Thanksgiving is
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  to be thankful for the good things in your life and to share
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  with others. That's all for today's episode
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  of Kick Ass Daily. Thanks for listening and
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  learning with us. We hope you have a fun and
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  thankful Thanksgiving. Whether you celebrate with a big
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  meal, a quiet day, or by helping others, remember being thankful
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  is something you can do every day of the year.
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  Until next time, stay curious. Grab.
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  Your breakfast feeling fine, adventures waiting Don't be
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  late, today's the day we.