First-graders add twists to Thanksgiving story

Pilgrims landed at North Pole, some say

— So where exactly did those Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving land when they got off the Mayflower?

History says that in December 1620, they docked at Cape Cod and then settled at Plymouth in what now is Massachusetts.

But first-graders at Bale Elementary School in Little Rock took a stab at rewriting history recently when they said the Pilgrims landed atsuch far-flung places as Asia, Mexico, Little Rock and, of course, the place on many children’s minds this time of year - the North Pole.

And forget the traditional turkey: A youngster named Samuel, who said the Pilgrims went to Little Rock by way of the North Pole, said the early settlers dined on “a deer they got shot.”

Jaylon said the Pilgrims traveled on a ship with a flag and “a cat pin” before theylanded at the North Pole.

Renetta apparently has been studying her phonics and listening to plenty of political coverage out of Washington, D.C., because she’s convinced that the Pilgrims landed “on Woshit de see.”

Jakyla said the Pilgrims landed in Little Rock on a dirty brown ship, though she illustrated her answer with a ship that looked more like a pretty rainbow floating under a sunny sky.

Deidre imagined a more traumatic voyage and colored a picture of a brown ship sailing over the Atlantic Ocean’s big waves as black clouds and lightning threatened from above. She said the Pilgrims landed on the Atlantic side of “amarikah” after riding “on a ship that is called Mayflower. They went [through] a [storm].”

Manuel pondered the question. He first wrote that he thought the Pilgrimslanded at Little Rock, but then added, “No, No, No, mabye Mexuco.” But then, he wrote, “I got it! Canda.” Manuel finally concluded, “I rilley rilley [got] it New York.”

A few children envisioned some thoroughly modern Pilgrims.

“I think the pilgrims landed in America on the plane because the king was mean to the pilgrims,” wrote Britni.

Iyanna agreed, saying they landed “in America on the plane because the King was meen.” But Iyanna didn’t forget the ship, adding, “And they had snuck out. And thay had got a boat and the boat went to America,” where they built a house.

I’yauna wrote that the Pilgrims landed in Little Rock to get “some food to [eat] and some pop too drink.”

Tyler stuck with his home turf, writing, “I think the pilgims landed in Arkansas. I think that because Arkansas is in America and that means if they landed in America that means that they landed in Arkansas and just like us they [were] in America.”

Diwan, however, declared Asia the landing spot. Kortez decided on Africa. Anthony said it was South America. Deniya chose Atlanta, and Cecile said America - an answer that turned up repeatedly, albeit with varied spellings.

“I think the pilgrims landed on Mexico and when they landed on Mexico, they stade there to help the other’s,” advised Ariel. A few youngsters played it safe.

Hannah, for instance, wrote, “They had to land by the wodr [water].”

Lariah said the Pilgrims landed “in the grass.”

As for David, no one can accuse him of being unpatriotic.

“The pilgrims came to America on a bote that’s call the Mayflawer,” he wrote. “The Pilgrims want to go to USA. Pilgrims loved America. the pilgrims sayid. Go USA go USA go USA !”

Arkansas, Pages 15 on 11/22/2012

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