THOUSAND OAKS : Youngsters Gobble Up Feast, History

Michael Caine was one hungry little Indian.

Munching on a plate piled high with turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, sliced apples and Jell-O, the 6-year-old University School student Tuesday enjoyed the first of two Thanksgiving feasts he will devour this week.

The Thousand Oaks elementary’s pre-holiday meal was served to about 200 kindergarten, first- and second-grade students, many of whom donned Native American and Pilgrim costumes.

The noon event, which included a musical performance, was organized to teach children the meaning of Thanksgiving and bring three grade levels together for a common activity, school officials said.

“We’re trying to promote camaraderie in the primary grades,” said kindergarten teacher Margaret Kemp. “I thought this would be a nice way.”

The feast also provided children with a taste of history, since many classes discussed the history of Thanksgiving before Tuesday’s events.

Wearing a Native American vest tailored out of a paper grocery bag, Michael defined the holiday as “a day when people give thanks and go to someone’s house to eat.”

Eight-year-old Bryce Henderson said Thanksgiving “is a celebration of when the Pilgrims discovered America.” But the second-grader was not sure who those Pilgrims were who founded the Plymouth Colony in 1620. “I think they came from Spain,” he said.

Some teachers also stressed the unhistoric aspects of Thanksgiving in their classes by asking children to bring canned foods for hungry Ventura County residents.

“It just kind of makes them aware that there are other people who don’t have food,” said teacher Mave Colunga.

About 40 parents prepared hot food dishes for the feast, which included two large turkeys donated by a local grocery store.

“I think it’s great,” parent Anna Halle said. “It’s a custom that we follow year after year, and how many kids really understand it?”

Kemp said most teachers incorporated the holiday into their class discussions, both its history and its traditions.

“Every class has talked about what the original Thanksgiving was like and how it has changed,” she said. “Your father doesn’t shoot a turkey anymore, your mom goes to Vons and buys it.”