| *Harvest Necklace: Measure the length of a string or fishing line that you need to fit the necklace over the head (and don't forget to leave enough for tying off). Thread a large needle and string popcorn and other items alternately (such as raisins, dried cranberries, nuts, pieces of orange peel, dried apple or apricot, etc.). After the kids wear their necklaces, you can hang them onto a tree or shrub for the local wildlife.
*Thanksgiving Tablecloth: Wash and iron a plain white table cloth. Place the cloth on a clean wide space and lay down protective newspaper. You can use paper plates for the paints. Try and choose fall colors and Thanksgiving colors such as gold, brown, green, orange, red etc... For printing items use potatoes and sponges cut into desired shapes, thanksgiving cookie cutters, feathers, corncob, leaves, etc.
*Thanksgiving Placemats: There are many placemat variations you can come up with for Thanksgiving. For instance, have the kids collect leaves, feathers, berries, etc. and glue them onto letter-sized construction paper or thin cardboard. Or, cut out Thanksgiving pictures from magazines and newspaper advertisements and glue them, or use the children's hand prints, and so forth. Then, cover each placemat with the clear Con-Tact paper.
*Corn Painting: Take thoroughly cleaned and dried corn cobs and dip them into different fall colored paints. Let the children roll the corn cobs over white paper to make a very special print. This can also be used as a placemat.
*Feather Painting: Provide each child with a feather, paint and paper and let them paint pictures using the feather as a paint brush.
*Bagel Turkeys: For each child you'll need a bagel, seven lollipops, and three candy corns. The bagel serves as the turkey's body. Poke two lollipops through the base of the bagel as legs so it will stand up. Then use the remaining lollipops as feathers poking out of the top of the bagel. Just above the hole in the bagel poke in two candy corn as eyes and one candy corn as the gobble. (Afterwards, you can have the kids toast their bagel turkey - without the candy, of course.)
*Festive Napkin Rings: These will add glorious fall colors to your table. Have the kids cut toilet paper tubes into 1 1/2" wide rings and paint designs in festive fall colors on the "rings". Add construction paper or real feathers. You can also have the children paint on the tubes colored glue (red, yellow, orange, brown) and then roll the tubes into a mixture of different types and colors of beans (corn, black, green pea, etc.)
*Pilgrim Place Cards: Hand out clothespins and have the kids use fine tip colored markers to draw faces on the "head" of each clothespin. Have them color the rest of the clothespin black. Just below the head, wrap a black pipe cleaner around the neck to create the arms. Wrap another pipe cleaner around the bottom part for the feet. Have the "pilgrim" stand up inside a bottle cap. Cut out a black construction paper hat and glue it on complete with yellow buckle. Also have them cut out and glue on a white paper vest. Cut nametags from white or yellow construction paper, and attach to the pilgrim's pipe cleaner arms. It'll look really special with the nametag held above the pilgrim's head.
*Paper Plate Hand Turkeys : You'll need one paper plate for each turkey. Have the kids place their hand in the center of the paper plate with fingers spread out so they are separated. Trace the hand with a pencil and cut out. The thumb is the head of the turkey and the fingers are its feathers. Let the kids use markers, crayons or colored pencils to color their turkey. Also, use leaves or acorns on the fingers for feathers and paste goofy eyes on the turkey.
*Pinecone Turkeys: This is a classic Thanksgiving craft. Collect pinecones, add colorful feathers, wiggly eyes, and cut and bent pipe cleaners for the beak, wattle and feet. You can spray paint the pine cone with gold spray and also turn them into place card holders.
*Oreo Turkeys: Give each child two Oreo cookies. Open one Oreo. Use the half that has the filling as the base for the turkey to stand on (the other piece can be eaten.) Place the second Oreo on the filling standing upright. This'll be the turkey body. Carefully place five candy corns into the filling on the upright Oreo. Now you've got the feathers. To finish off this quick and tasty turkey, place a Raisinette in front of the turkey body for the head. You can use these as decorations or let the kids gobble them right up.
*Hand Turkey: Here's another Thanksgiving craft classic. Have the children paint their palms brown, as well as their thumb. Then let them paint each of their fingers a different bright color such red or blue. Have them press their hand onto a piece of white paper. Let them add the eyes, wattle, gobble, etc. You can even turn this into a card by writing: "This isn't just a Turkey as anyone can see, I made it with my hand which is part of me. It comes with lots of love especially to say, I hope that you have a very happy Thanksgiving day!!
*Turkey Mural: Take a large sheet of poster board, draw a large turkey on it and cut it out. Color the beak, wattles and feet. Use all your fall colors of tempera paint and have each child print their handprint all over the turkey (this becomes the feathers). The more they layer their handprints the prettier the turkey. For easy clean up add a few drops of liquid soap into the paint.
*Snack Holder Pilgrim Hats: These make great and easy table decorations. For each pilgrim hat, use one black stadium cup, one 6" circle of black cardboard, and a gold or yellow "buckle" made from cardstock paper. Glue the circle to the base of the cup and the buckle around the cup. Fill the pilgrim hat with a dry snack (popcorn, pretzels, wrapped candies, etc.).
*Tissue Paper Turkeys: Cut a simple outline of a turkey from brown construction paper. A profile of a turkey works best. Draw an eye on the turkey and the wattle. Then, with small scraps of colored tissue paper, have the kids make the feathers for the turkey by taking a square of tissue paper, inserting an eraser from a pencil into the middle of the square, twisting the paper around the eraser and dipping in glue. Then have them glue the tissue paper onto the turkey cutout.
*Tissue Corn: Cut corn shapes out of tag board and also prepare small squares of fall colored tissue paper. Have the children twist the tissue paper around a pencil eraser and glue it onto the corn shape.
*Potato Turkeys: Take an uncooked potato and have the children insert feathers on one side being careful to choose the feathers with the firmest "stem". Glue on wiggle eyes and use red felt for a gobble. Fold a yellow or orange diamond shape cutout to make the gobble and insert four toothpicks in the bottom half to make the turkey stand. A variation of the Potato Turkey is the Apple Turkey. Use the apple for the turkey body, precut turkey head, and use frilly ****tail toothpicks for feathers.
*Paper Bag Turkeys: Give each child a brown paper grocery bag (any size) and several sheets of newspaper. Have the children crumple the sheets of newspaper and stuff them into their bags until the bags are half full. Twist the bags closed and tie them around the middle with pieces of yarn. To make tails for their paper bag turkeys, have the children make several cuts from the top edges of their bags down to the yarn ties. Let the children paint their turkey tails. Then give each child a precut turkey head shape to decorate. Attach the head shapes to the front of the bags to complete the turkeys. Instead of filling with newspapers, you can fill it with candy and give this turkey out as a favor.
*Doodle Table Covers: Cover a table or two with orange paper. Add baskets of markers to the tables, and allow family and friends to doodle on the decorative table covers. This activity is always a hit, and you can cut out and save the best doodles for the family scrapbook!
*Colored Corn Pictures: Prepare different colored corn by mixing un-popped popcorn with rubbing alcohol and food coloring (shake inside a Ziploc bag and let dry in an open container). Have the kids glue the colored corn onto different Thanksgiving designs.
*Mayflower Place Cards: Mold Terra cotta colored clay (or even playdough) into boats similar in shape to the Mayflower. Cut a good-sized sail out of the edge of a white paper plate. Write the names of each child on the sails. Poke two holes in the center of the sail (vertically), and use the toothpick as the mast. Fill with M&M's or mini candy bars in fall colors. |
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