Turkey Lacing Craft

This is an art project and a fine motor skills project all in one!

You need:

• paper bag or brown paper
• colored paper
• glue
• scissors
• hole punch
• yarn

Cut out the pieces. Punch holes around the perimeter of the turkey. 

Have your child assemble the turkey. When she is done, have her string the yarn through the holes. 

Thanksgiving Turkey Card

This is a cute gift to give people at Thanksgiving time--I am thinking Grandparents or parents if you teach young children.

You make a cut out of the child's hand. Then you have the child list things she is thankful for and write them on each finger/thumb. You then add a head, eyes, etc. The poem says:

This isn't just a turkey,

as you can plainly see.

I made it with my hand,

which is a part of me.

It comes with lots of love,

especially to say,

I hope you have a very

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Turkey Countdown to Thanksgiving

We used our turkey countdown for the first time last year.  It's held up to reuse again this year!

I saw this cute Thanksgiving countdown and had to try it. I adapted it a little so that I could reuse it every year (or at least for a few years). I used foam and cardboard instead of construction paper and cardstock. I also made it magnetic and keep it on our fridge.

Our turkey actually isn’t this full yet, I just took a picture of what he would look like in all his glory. J adds one feather to him each day. You could do the reverse and pluck a feather each day, pretending to ready him for Thanksgiving dinner. I think older kids would find that really funny actually.
First check out the original site if you like to change things up each year and are ok with a temporary version. I liked how she made the head 3D.  
Since J is so young I know that this will still be exciting for him next year.
My materials: colorful foam, cardboard, googly eyes, adhesive magnets and glue. It took about 30 minutes to make, but could be done much faster since I had to redo things a few times or find new materials to work with. This is also something your little one could help make. I just did it during naptime since our week is so busy and wanted it done in time for a decent countdown.
How I made it:
1. Cut the feather strips out of colorful foam. (You want thin strips so they fit behind Mr. Turkey, especially if you plan for a full month’s countdown.)
2. Attach an adhesive magnet to the top of each strip. This will allow you to have that fanned look to the feathers. If you place the magnets closer to the bottom, they will simply create a single file line across the turkey’s back. (This was my first mistake!)
3. Cut two circles out of brown cardboard, a large one for the body and small one for the head. **I suggest having a very large body so you have plenty of room for your feathers to fan out, especially if you plan to start on Nov. 1st. The cardboard circles that come with frozen pizzas work great.
4. Glue the smaller circle onto the larger one.
5. Cut out a strip of cardboard and glue on the back of the large circle. **Place it on the base of the body since the feather strips will be stuffed along the top. (This was my second mistake!) When dry, place 1-2 magnetic strips on the back of the turkey’s body. The cardboard backing allows Mr. Turkey to be lifted slightly when attached to the regrigerator. This allows the feathers to slide behind him easily.
6. Cut out the feet, beak, and snood and glue them onto the turkey, along with the googly eyes.
7. Test it out before getting your little one’s excited about it. I’m glad I tested it first since I needed to rearrange the magnets on my pieces. Now we have a cute turkey that J can easily slip a feather behind on his own each day.

Becca also blogs at Fun & Engaging Activities for Toddlers.

Top 5 Pinterest Thanksgiving Finds

Here are my five favorite things I have on my Pinterest for Thanskgiving ideas!

Treats from Ourbestbites.com
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/11/oreo-turkeys-and-cookie-pilgrim-hats/

Lunch from Meet the Dubiens
http://meetthedubiens.blogspot.com/2011/10/fun-food-friday-tommy-turkey.html

Turkey Countdown from Make and Take
http://www.makeandtakes.com/counting-down-to-turkey-time

And see our own Becca's version here:
http://www.makeandtakes.com/wp-content/uploads/Thanksgiving-Countdown-Craft.jpg

Thanksgiving Galore from KatharineMaries.com
http://katherinemariephotography.com/blog/archives/7375

There are at least 11 Thanksgiving ideas in this post

Turkey Craft from DLTK.com

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/mturkey.html

You can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/valplowman/

Thanksgiving Round-Up 2011

Here is the round-up for our previous Thanksgiving posts:

Apple Turkey

Cute, yummy, fruit, fine motor development, patterns...all good.












Thankful Basket

For teaching Gratitude.











Paper Plate Turkey

This is a super cute craft that teaches colors, counting, fine motor, and following instructions.





Pumpkin Turkey

This is another cute decoration for your Thanksgiving holiday!








Involving Young Children on Thanksgiving Day
Tips for getting your young children involved in this holiday that can seem ambiguous to them.

Making a Menu
Have your children make a menu for the big meal.

Thankful Place Mat
Have your children make a place mat to eat off of that shows the things they are thankful for.

Positional Words: A Thanksgiving Game
A game for all ages.

Turkey Table Toppers

Make some center pieces for your meal.











Thankful Drawing

Get the whole family involved in drawing a picture of the things you are thankful for.







Thanksgiving Books
Thanksgiving Books 2009
Thanksgiving Books 2010

Pumpkin Turkey

I have these Jack-Be-Little pumpkins all over my house, serving as a nice decoration. I kept looking at them wanting to do something unique with them, and came up with this. I think they make darling decorations! This is a great activity for fine motor skills practice.

AGE RANGE
If you assemble the turkey, 12 months and up. The child will need to be older for assembling.

SUPPLIES

• Pumpkin (you could also use a pear, apple...whatever)
• Crayons
• Feathers
• Toothpick
• Scissors
• Tape
• Nail
• Turkey head printed out

ACTIVITY

1. Have your child color the turkey head.
2. If your child is able, have him cut out the turkey head.
3. Tape the turkey head to the toothpick.
4. You can either slide the toothpick into the turkey or poke a hole in the turkey with a nail and have your child slide it in.
5. Poke holes for the feathers. Either you put them in, or have your child do it if he is able.
6. Done!

Thanksgiving Books 2010

Here are some books for you to consider for Thanksgiving!

I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson

This story is very funny and is sure to get giggles out of your children. This is a fun Thanksgiving Read.







The Pilgrims Thanksgiving from A to Z by Laura Crawford

This book is full of infomration about Thanksgiving. It isn't just a picture book with "P is for Pilgrim". It has the letter, what it stands for, then at least a full paragraph elaborating on the item. So you could focus on the letters with your little ones (young toddlers, pretoddlers, and babies), but also go into much more historical detail with your older children (toddlers, preschoolers, an children). I really like this book.




Thanksgiving Day by Anne Rockwell

This is about chilren recounting what they learned about Thanksgiving Day. It has good information while still being interesting.







Thanksgiving Mice! by Bethany Roberts

A group of mice put on a play about the first Thanksgiving.








The Thanksgiving Surprise by Peggy Archer

Two brothers go looking for a turkey to eat on Thanksgiving. They end up coming home with a giant pumpkin instead. This is a fun story.






I'm A Turkey by Jim Arnosky
This is a fun turkey book to read. I would get this from the library, but probably not buy it.





A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman

Raegan mentioned this last year, but it is so good it must be mentioned again. This is our favorite turkey book this year, and really is worth it to own this one. I like it so much I found myself a little taken aback when the librarian didn't read this for story time to the Kindergarteners today--she read a different turkey book! Then I had to laugh at myself. So it is a good one.

Blast from the Past: No Bake Turkey Cookies {plus Spinoff}

We recently made Raegan's no-bake turkey cookies and of course the kids loved them. A whole lot. What's not to love? Sugar, sugar, sugar.

We also recently went to story time at the library, where they made something similar:

I thought that was a great way to lessen the sugar impact if desired. Yes, I was a weird mom squeezing in there to get a picture of the turkey with my phone :) All for you people! All for you. 

This cookie is one half of an oreo, candy corn, and a Hershey's Kiss. You could do a malt ball instead of the kiss. The kiss is stuck on using white frosting (when we made our turkey cookies, I had some green frosting already made so we used that instead! Kids don't care).

Paper Plate Turkey

First of all, sorry for the terribly small picture. I took this with my phone at Brayden's school. I helped in Brayden's class this month as they made these cute turkey plates. IF I remember, when he brings it home this year, I will take a picture and add it to this post so there will be a better picture for future reference. This is a fun Thanksgiving decoration! It is great for counting, colors, fine motor, an art project, and following a sequence of directions.

Supplies

• Two white paper plates
• Six long strips of paper: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple 
• Six short strips of paper: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple
• One short orange strip of paper (for the feet)
• One printed turkey head (try this one http://kidsdomain.com/craft/cegif/pum-tur3-head.gif)
• Crayons
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Stapler (optional)

Method

1. Have the child color the bottom of each plate brown. This is the side that you do not eat from.
2. Have the child color and cut out the turkey head.
3. Have the child cut the strips of paper so the ends resemble feathers. Most of the Kindergartners cut the ends like at an angle.
4. Have the child cut out the orange strip to look like feet.
5. Have the child glue the turkey head on the brown side of one of the plates.
6. Have the child glue the feathers on the white side of the other plate. Glue the tall feathers in the middle and short feathers on the sides.
7. Have the child glue the feet on the bottom of the same plate.
8. Staple (or glue) the two plates together.
9. Viola! You have a turkey.

Tip: If you want this to be an activity where your child follows a sequence of directions, it is a good idea for you to make one ahead of time. Then give the instructions and set your turkey out for the child to look at as an example. I would say this is most appropriate for children 4 and older.

Turkey Round-Up

Here are our Turkey ideas from last year:

Involving Young Children on Thanksgiving Day

Turkey Handprint Place Cards

Handprint Turkey

Turkey Apple

Feather Turkey

No-Bake Turkey Cookies

Involving Young Children on Thanksgiving Day

Today my toddler asked me "What Thanksgiving is?" and I tried to explain, in her terms, why we celebrate thanksgiving and what being thankful means. Sure... we've read books, done plenty of turkey crafts, and talked about being thankful. I've tried to help her learn to be grateful, to see outside her own little world (which is tough for a toddler) and to start thinking of others. After my long, probably way too drawn out, explanation she said, "I help you. I cook too."

That got me thinking. How can I involve my toddler in the festivities? So I've devised a plan for our Thanksgiving day, and perhaps you can use some of this or tailor it to your needs. Some of it will involve cooking and some will not. All in all, let them know you are thankful for any "help" they give you, mess and all.

1. Can they help plan the menu? I asked Charis to help choose some items. Mashed Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes? Marshmallows on top or Streudel topping? Corn or Peas?
2. Make a Menu for guests.
3. Thanksgiving Cards: While you prep, cook, or clean, have your child make a card for family members that are coming. This can be as simple as scribbles on paper for young toddlers, stamping, stickers, gluing leaves, making a turkey, or for older children writing or copying a message.
4. Thanksgiving place mats
5. Help set the table! My 2 year old has been helping with that for months now.
6. Take coats and put them in a designated area when family/friends arrive. My daughter is working on saying, "May I take your coat, please?"
7. Help clear the table. I may give her a bowl to collect all the dirty silverware or a mini trashcan for napkins. Use discretion!
8. Dusting, mopping, sweeping, and more. I've gotten my daughter a mini version of a duster, mop, and broom. I give her a small spray bottle of water and let her clean the doorknobs (thanks Molly!) or wipe down chairs.
9. Hide cards for a Thanksgiving Game of Hide-and-seek.
10. Turn on tea lights in Turkey Table Toppers.
11. Make Turkey hand print name cards for each of the guest's seats.
12. Help countdown time until dinner. *Make this ahead of time.
13. Help set up a play center for the kids table: Thanksgiving Books, No Bake Turkey Cookies, Coloring books, Table covered with large paper to make Thankful Drawing, small trash can, etc.
14. Check off your list (see #6 below).

Cooking ideas:

1. Make a list and have them check it off. I made a picture list (picture of pie, picture of turkey, picture of set table, etc) and will let her mark it off as we finish. I also made one for the Big Day so we can make sure we have everything out. It's not unusual for me to forget rolls in the oven once everyone has gotten there and I get busy chatting.Green bean casserole: Let them top it with the onion straws.
2. Rolls to bake: Let them line them up on the baking sheet.
3. Pumpkin pie: Let them stir the ingredients together and help you pour it in the crust. They may slosh a little pie filling on the counter...no one will miss it and your little one will love stirring.
4. Making sweet potato casserole? Consider letting your child line up the marshmallows on top in rows (fine motor skills), or sprinkle the cinnamon sugar crumble on top.
5. With anything that needs measuring, let them help dump it once you measure. Let them put all the prepped/chopped veggies in a bowl so they are ready for you to grab and throw in the pan.

Very young toddlers/babies:

1. If your little one is too small for this, I've gotten out a plastic table cloth and put her on the floor with her own ingredients (rice, beans, water, salt, cereal, dry oatmeal, etc) and let her pretend she's cooking, too. Make sure your chosen items are appropriate. This is a great time for the Pouring or Scooping-Water Play activities.

Turkey Handprint Place Cards

Another fun activity is to take the traditional Turkey Hand Print and to turn it into Place Cards for guests. All you need is Card stock, washable paint, a marker and a little patience.

Take each hand print turkey, label it with a name, and let your toddler/preschooler/child help set the table with the place cards.

Pictures from The MayFly and Kaboose

Handprint Turkey

We have been having lots of fun with Do-a-Dot art sets. Thanks Raegan for mentioning them! A recent one we did was handprint turkeys. I like this because it captures the size of your child's hand.

AGE RANGE
As soon as you are okay with your child using a do-a-dot. Two and up is definitely appropriate. You will have to decide on children younger than that.

SKILLS TAUGHT

• Art
• Colors
• Fine Motor

SUPPLIES

• Do-a-dot
• Pen/pencil/crayon
• Paper

PREP

• Trace your child's hand on the paper
• Trace a parent's hand on the paper

ACTIVITY

• Have your child use the do-a-dots to fill in the feathers on each turkey.

PHOTOS
This was the first time we used do-a-dots, so the kids were quite excited about them and wanting to experiement. I also realized at one point that I didn't explain the activity well before we started. So, the end-product didn't turn out as I envisioned, but they definitely enjoyed themselves. The top one is Brayden's (age 4.5), and the bottome one is Kaitlyn's (2.5).

Turkey Apple

Brayden brought this home from preschool the other day. I thought it was so cute. He colored feathers, a turkey head, and feet. He cut them out and then taped them to toothpicks and stuck the toothpicks into the apple. I thought it was a fun idea!