Simple Toilet Paper Roll Pilgrims and A Story of the First Thanksgiving

I have one more Thanksgiving book and craft to share with you today. This one is about the pilgrims, and I have made simple toilet paper roll pilgrims to go with it.  

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I wanted to find a story about the first Thanksgiving to read with my kindergartners. It was hard to find the right balance of historical accuracy and inviting story for this age group. I think The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving (affiliate) by Ann McGovern does a creditable job. It relates the big picture in an engaging way, with a focus on the pilgrim children.

My pilgrim craft is more about simplicity than authenticity. I tried to keep it basic enough that a preschooler could paint and assemble it with help.

Materials Needed

2 toilet paper rolls

1 - 3 oz. plastic bathroom cup

Black acrylic paint

Paintbrush

Smock or Paint shirt

Newspaper to cover work area

Paper: white, yellow, peach, brown

Scissors

Googly eyes (optional)

Colored pencils for face features

Glue

Instructions

1. Paint toilet paper rolls and plastic cup completely black.

2. Cut out face, collar, hat band, and hat buckle.
3. For the hair, cut a strip to go around the tube plus a separate piece for the front (See photo).

4. Glue googly eyes onto face, and draw on mouth and nose.

5. Once black paint has dried, glue on paper pieces.
6. For the woman's hat, you can make a tiny version based on this pilgrim hat tutorial.

This post is part of the Kids Are Thankful blog hop. A group of creative bloggers have teamed up to share kids' Thanksgiving books along with activities to go with them.  Go have a look at all of them!