Say you want to mix a little education with your Thanksgiving celebration this year and throw a party that is true to our Pilgrim forebears. You'd know what to do, right? You'd have everyone dress in black and gray, put on buckle hats and join the neighboring Indians (who would sport feathered headdresses). There'd be an abundant feast of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, but Pilgrims being Pilgrims, there certainly wouldn't be any raucousness or high jinks.

Well, actually there would be, say the folks at Plimoth Plantation, the living-history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, dedicated to the landing at Plymouth Rock. A visit to Plimoth (spelled the way the first govenor wrote it in his journal in the 17th century), sets the record straight. When you walk around this community, you see colonists dressed in colorful clothes, working hard, yes, but also joking around. Visit Goodwife Hopkins' house and she'll recall cooking deer and baking squashes for the harvest feast (no pies, though, because there was not enough sugar), but then will add, "Oh, and we made merry!" In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag (the natives who lived close by) not only ate for three days but also sang, danced, ran foot races and played games. In short, they had fun.

So with a nod to those merry Pilgrims, we offer this Plimoth-inspired collection of clothing, crafts, and games to blend into your Thanksgiving celebration--a feast that we hope will feed your kids' imaginations as well as their appetites.

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Emily B. Todd is a frequent contributor to FAMILYFUN