Before you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with your family this year, you might reflect on the ways children’s lives differ today from youngsters who lived in the New World in 1621.

The first thing you would probably notice is that in Plymouth, Mass., there would be no sleeping late for you because it was a holiday – not that you would want to. You would have slept on a cold dirt floor on a mattress made of straw.

As far as chores were concerned, you would be expected to do them just like you would any other day of the year.

There would be no school to go to because your parents would teach you to read and write at home, if they knew how.

Your mom wouldn’t serve the meal; you would. And, because there were rarely enough chairs to go around, you would eat standing up. At first, you might enjoy eating with your hands; there were no forks with which to eat.

And this one you would really hate: Children, including boys, wore wool dresses until they reached the age of 9.

The one thing that you could count on during that first Thanksgiving feast is that you would not go to bed that night hungry, like many children in the world will on Nov. 24, 2011.

To commemorate Thanksgiving this year, I made a Pilgrim Pal using directions I found at www.familyfun.go.com/crafts/pilgrim-pal-661833/.

Supplies you will need:

Craft glue.

4 1/2- by 6-inch rectangle of tan paper.

Cardboard toilet tissue tube.

Black and white felt.

1-inch pieces of yarn.

Markers.

A pipe cleaner.

Silver paper.

Scissors.

To make the body and head, glue the tan paper around the cardboard tube, then glue a 2 1/2-inch wide piece of black felt around the lower portion of the tube for a jacket. Next, glue on a notched 6 \- by 1-inch strip of white felt for a collar and yarn pieces for hair, then use the markers to draw on facial features.

For arms, cut the pipe cleaner in two, then trim 1 inch from each half. Set aside these smaller pieces. Glue each of the large pipe cleaner pieces between two 3 1/2-inch strips of black felt, letting the end of the pipe cleaner extend past the edge of the felt. Bend each pipe cleaner end into a hand shape, then glue the arms in place on each side of the tube.

For legs, place each of the 1-inch pipe cleaner pieces at the end of a long strip of black felt, as shown in the photo. Top with a matching felt strip and glue the strips together. Glue two felt boot shapes together over the end of the pipe cleaner foot, then glue the top of each leg inside the cardboard tube.

To make the hat, glue a 1-inch wide strip of black felt around the top of the cardboard tube. For a brim, cut out a 3-inch circle of black felt, then cut a 1 3/4-inch circle from its center. Slide the brim down to the bottom edge of the felt strip and glue it in place. Then glue the smaller felt circle to the top of the tube. To finish, cut three small buckles from the silver paper and glue them to your Pilgrim Pal’s hat and shoes.

If you have a craft idea or question, contact Kathy Antoniotti, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; 330-996-3565; or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.

By KATHY ANTONIOTTI