I know Thanksgiving is a national holiday, but as a homeschooler, I believe all of life is a classroom. Taking a break from lessons shouldn’t mean taking a break from learning. So… in typical teaching-mama fashion, I offer the following Thanksgiving Trivia Test for your perusal.

Don’t tip off my kids, but they’ll be taking this pop quiz before we sit down to dinner next Thursday. There’s a free printable version at the end of this post, in case you’d like to challenge your family and friends, as well:

10 Tidbits of Thanksgiving Trivia Everyone Should Know:

1. There were 102 men, women, and children aboard the Mayflower. How long did it take
   them to reach America?
   a. 6 weeks
   b. 66 days
   c. 6 months
   d. 66 fortnights
2. The “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the 50 surviving colonists and about 90 members of
   what tribe?
   a. the Narragansett
   b. the Patuxet
   c. the Wampanoag
   d. all of the above
3. How are cranberries tested for ripeness?
   a. they’re bounced: ripe ones bounce 4 inches
   b. they’re tasted: ripe ones are sweet and tart
   c. they’re inspected: ripe ones are rosey
   d. they’re smashed: ripe ones are juicy
4. The first department store to hold a Thanksgiving Day Parade was…
   a. Macy’s
   b. Gimbel’s
   c. Penney’s
   d. Woolworth’s
5. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of a popular women’s magazine at the time, began campaigning in
   1827 to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Hale is also famous for writing what poem?
   a. “Over the River and through the Woods”
   b. “We Gather Together”
   c.“Come Ye Thankful People Come”
   d. “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
6. Americans consume nearly 400 million pounds of cranberries every year. What percentage is
   eaten during the week of Thanksgiving?
   a. 20%
   b. 50%
   c. 72%
   d. 90%
7. In 1621, the chief of a neighboring tribe signed a treaty of alliance with the Pilgrims that was never
   broken. That chief’s name was:
   a. Squanto
   b. Samoset
   c. Massasoit
   d. Sacagawea
8. What is the dictionary definition of a “snood?”
   a. an ornamental hairnet or fabric bag worn over the hair at the back of a woman’s head
   b. the flap of skin that hangs over a turkey’s beak and changes color to communicate emotions
   c. one of several short lines that attach hooks to the main line in sea fishing
   d. all of the above
9. Every Thanksgiving, the President of the US pardons a turkey who spends the rest of his life on a
   historical farm. Which president is believed to have started this noble tradition?
   a. Washington in 1789
   b. Lincoln in 1863
   c. Roosevelt in 1939
   d. Truman in 1947
10. The countries of Canada, Germany, Granada, and Korea all celebrate Thanksgiving in October.
    Why does the US wait until the fourth Thursday of November to celebrate?
    a. that’s the day the Pilgrims first landed in Plymouth
    b. so people can rest up before Black Friday sales
    c. that was the date set by FDR in 1939 and approved by Congress in 1941
    d. those other countries don’t use the Gregorian calendar, so their dates are off by one month

PLEASE NOTE: The answer key is on page 2 of our Thanksgiving Trivia printable. If you are printing lots of copies for a party or family gathering, print as many copies of page 1 (the actual quiz) as you want, but you’ll only need to print one copy of page 2 (and no fair peeking at the answers until everybody is finished with the test!)

[click on image to print]

And if American history isn’t your thing? Well, as a home educator, I feel compelled to remind you, it’s never too late to learn! Here are a few of our family’s favorite books for this Season of Thanksgiving:

• Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphrey
• The Story of the Pilgrims by Katharine Ross
• Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla
• The Pilgrims of Plymouth by Marcia Sewall