Indian Chief Headdress & Indian Vest
February 12th, 2013 posted by Heidi Ott
Dress up for Thanksgiving with this fun Indian Chief headdress and Indian vest! A great way to teach kids about the origins of Thanksgiving.
Materials
Heavy perforated cardboard
11 large feathers
2 small feathers
White paper
Penne Rigate pasta
6 pony beads (2 of each color)
String
Markers
Pencil
Ruler
Craft knife
Scissors
White glue
Hole punch
If you make this project
we’d love to see it! Just send your photos and comments to the editor and it may get published on our Facebook fan page !
What you do
Using a craft knife and a ruler cut the following pieces from cardboard. 1 – 14″ x 1 1/2″ rectangle 2 – 2-inch diameter circles Trace the cardboard pieces onto the white paper and cut one paper piece for each cardboard piece. Glue the paper to the cardboard. Let dry. Punch a hole on each side of the rectangle piece 1/2 inch from each edge. Using a pencil, sketch a design onto the paper side of the cardboard pieces. Color your designs with markers. Tie a 12 inch length of string into the holes on the ends of the rectangle band. 
Put a piece of pasta on the quill of each of the large feathers. Poke the first feather into the corrugated area of the cardboard at the center of your band. Poke the rest of the feathers about 1-inch apart evenly on both sides of the center feather. See fig. 1 Cut 2 6-inch lengths of string. Tie a large knot on one end of each string. String 3 beads on each string. Lay unknotted end of string over the quill of a small feather. Poke the quill of the small feather into the corrugated area of a circle. The quill should help push the string into the cardboard so the cardboard holds both the quill and the string. Trim any excess string. Glue one circle to each side of the band with the feather and beaded string hanging down. Make the Paper Bag Indian Vest to go along with your headband. 
Indian Vest
Make this fun and simple Indian vest from a brown paper bag.
Materials
1 large brown paper bag Items to decorate -colored paper, markers, paint, etc. White glue Scissors
What you do
Cut paper bag down the front and around the bottom of the bag for the opening and neck area. Cut a hole in each side for the arms. Cut the bottom edge of the vest so it is fringed. Cut two pieces of fringe from colored paper and glue one to each side of the front of the vest. Cut Indian designs from colored paper and glue to vest to decorate it. You can also color your designs on with markers or paint. 
