SULTAN — Feasting, finding turkeys, family traditions — here are some little-known facts about Thanksgiving, as told by Sultan Elementary School students in Karen Harper’s first-grade and Kaitlyn McCall’s second-grade classes.
Second-graders
Blaze Turner, 7
What do turkeys sound like?
“They’re loud. Bock. Bock.”
Why do people eat so much on Thanksgiving?
“Because it’s a holiday.”
What happened at the first Thanksgiving?
“Eating a lot of turkeys and shooting them with arrows.”
What are you thankful for?
“That the farmers make turkeys for us.”
What’s Thanksgiving all about?
“It’s all about spending time together because I love my family. Spending time together with your family is the most important thing.”
Tristan Sharp, 7
What do turkeys look like?
“They’re very colorful. They’re brown and orange and red. They also gobble a lot.”
What do they do?
“Gobble all day.”
How do you pick out a good turkey?
“The turkey that looks the best, the white I guess. I also like the wishbone but they never come true.”
What do you wish for?
“Legos.”
What’s Thanksgiving all about?
“Thanking the Native Americans.”
What are you thankful for this year?
“All the peace and joy in the world.”
Jayde Cookson, 7
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
“For thanks and stuff.”
What do you like to do on Thanksgiving?
“We like to eat food until the turkey is gone.”
What are you thankful for this year?
“Because I’m alive and stuff.”
Matthugh Foster, 8
Can turkeys fly?
“Some of them can.”
How do you cook them?
“You put it in the oven and get some grease on it and you get a thermometer.”
What’s your least favorite thing about Thanksgiving?
“Mashed potatoes. I only like them with cheese.”
Destiny Conner, 7
What do you usually do for Thanksgiving?
“Eat turkey.”
What do turkeys do?
“They walk and fly or something.”
What do you like about Thanksgiving?
“The cranberry sauce.”
Why do people eat so much?
“Because they like it.”
What are you thankful for?
“My mom.”
Christopher Lopez, 7
How do you catch a turkey?
“You just need to get a big net to catch one, like the size of a chicken. And they do lay eggs.”
Where do you get turkeys?
“You get turkeys from farms, the wild and maybe in forests.”
How do you cook one?
“You put it in the oven for half an hour or like 50 minutes.”
What do you like to eat on Thanksgiving?
“With my turkey, our mom cuts half a piece and gives some to us … And we eat it with a fork but our mom cuts it in half. She’s only gets to use the knife.”
What happened at the first Thanksgiving?
“That’s kind of hard to say. I think they make Thanksgiving up.”
Johana Pacheco-Cabrera, 7
What’s the tradition for Thanksgiving at your house?
“My mom knows. We have different decorations, different food and visitors.”
John Moore, 8
What do turkeys do?
“They walk around and they want to eat. And sometimes they produce eggs if they’re girls.”
How do you catch one?
“You get a turkey trap or you get a net and they walk over and you get two strings and pull or trap them in a box.”
How do you cook a turkey?
“You put it in the oven for a little bit. Then you put some ingredients. And then you cut it up with an auto cutter. I think that’s what it’s called.
Jace Pettelle, 7
Can turkeys fly?
“Some kinds can fly and some can glide like chickens.”
How do you catch one?
“You go in the woods and throw a net on them.”
How do you trick them into being caught?
“You dress up like one.”
What do you usually do for Thanksgiving?
“We go to my grandma’s and my cousins come and they’re really rough.”
What’s your grandma like?
“She’s really old, like 85 or 84. And she’s really nice.”
What does Thanksgiving mean to you?
“It’s nice. It’s a holiday right? You get a week or two weeks or something off from school. And I always need a break from school.”
Steffanie Robinson, 7
What do you usually do for Thanksgiving?
“We usually go to my auntie’s house.”
How’s her cooking?
“It’s kind of good.”
What do you usually eat?
“I usually eat tacos and burritos.”
First-graders
Ethan Albizu, 6
What do turkeys do all day?
“They wander around and eat.”
What happened on the first Thanksgiving?
“I was at my grandma’s house. And first, before we ate, I was thankful for all the meat I was eating. Then we all ate.”
What are you thankful for this year?
“Probably me doing loads and loads of homework.”
How do you cook a turkey?
“I don’t know. No one knows that. My mom knows how but she didn’t tell me.”
Luke Asper, 6
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
“Um. I forget why. We’ve been reading this book like (about) the Indians and the pilgrims.”
What happened at the first Thanksgiving?
“I remember what they ate: turkey, deer and grapes.”
What are you thankful for this year?
“My family.”
Kai Haddad, 6
What happened on the first Thanksgiving?
“Well it was my birthday because I was born on Thanksgiving.”
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
“Because it’s fun.”
Why do people eat so much on Thanksgiving?
“So it makes them live and grow.”
What does Thanksgiving mean to you?
“You get to have special food.”
Kaden Hofman, 7
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
“The Indians came and Squanto came back with, I think, nine Indians. Then the people went hunting and there was enough food for everyone.”
How do you cook a turkey?
“First you have to kill it by shooting it. Then you take the bones out. Then you put it in this thing and you eat it.”
What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving?
“My favorite thing about it is eating turkey, of course.”
Who were the pilgrims?
“I don’t know what that word means.”
Is there anything else people need to know about Thanksgiving?
“They need to learn that sometimes turkeys can be really sneaky.”
Jasravia Mann, 6
How do you cook a turkey?
“We decoration it and we cook it in the oven. And then when it’s time, our bell rings.”
What do you do after dinner?
“I eat dessert and then I kind of play games. I play ABC games so I can get smart. First grade is really hard.”
What else do people need to know about Thanksgiving?
“They need to know about how they can be thankful.”
Kelsie Mathias, 6
What do turkeys do?
“They flap their wings.”
What happened at the first Thanksgiving?
“The pilgrims were scared of the Indians. … They became friends because they were being nice and helping the pilgrims.”
Why do people eat so much at Thanksgiving?
“I think they’re hungry.”
Jonah McCrorey, 6
Do turkeys swim?
“They can’t swim but they can walk. They have good hiding places because they know we want to eat them.”
How do you catch one?
“We sneak up on them.”
Are they very smart?
“No, they’re not so smart.”
How do you cook a turkey?
“You put it in the oven and let it sit there for a while, for 10 or 20 minutes, and wait until it comes out.”
Avery Shisler, 6
What do turkeys act like?
“They waddle when they walk.”
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
“Because it’s a holiday and it’s a special day to have family over.”
Karen Nieva-Daza, 6
What do people need to know about Thanksgiving?
“Thanksgiving is all about turkeys and your family gets to come over to your house.”
What do turkeys do?
“They run when people want turkey.”
How do you catch them?
“You need to find a turkey then take them to your home.”
How do you cook a turkey?
“You put it in the oven then you get it out and then you have a feast.”
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
