Materials

• Black paper or card stock
• White paper
• Glue

• White paper doilies
• Tape
• Photos

Instructions

1. For each ring, first cut a 2- by 7-inch strip of black paper or card stock. Cut a white paper collar, as shown, and glue it in place. For womenfolk, glue a section of white paper doily over the collar, then glue the collar in place.
   
2. Create a hat from black and white paper, or a bonnet from a strip of white paper cut and formed as shown.
   
3. Glue or tape a photo of a guest to the hat or bonnet and then to a strip. Wrap the strip around a napkin and secure it with tape.
   

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Materials

• Permanent colored markers
• Straight wooden clothespins
• Black pipe cleaners
• Craft knife

• 1-liter plastic bottle with cap
• Construction paper
• Glue
• Paper plate

Instructions

1. To make a pair of pilgrim place cards, use colored markers to draw faces on the heads of two straight wooden clothespins. Color the rest of the clothespins black. Wrap a pipe cleaner around each clothespin just below the head to create arms.
   
2. With a craft knife, cut the top off a plastic 1-liter bottle, 3 1/4 inches down from the cap (a parent's job) and discard the bottom. Remove the bottle cap and color it and the bottle top black.
   
3. For the pilgrim man, wrap a pipe cleaner around his feet and stand him up in the bottle cap. Cut out and glue on a paper hat and vest.
   
4. To finish the woman, wrap a pipe cleaner around her waist and fit her into the bottle top. Glue on a paper apron and bonnet.
   
5. Lastly, cut name tags from a paper plate rim and attach them to the pilgrims' arms.
   

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What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Place paper plate on work surface upside down and write the child's name and the date. Turn the plate right side up. Paint entire plate with goldenrod color and set aside to dry (see image).
2. Meanwhile, cut felt into 1" pieces. Use several fall colors, such as red, brown, orange, tan, gold and cream. If you made our Mosaic Family Frame, perhaps you have some pieces left over that you can use!
3. Have all of your paint colors handy and a separate paintbrush for each color. Paint the child's palm and thumb with a generous amount of brown paint. Working quickly so that the paint doesn't have time to dry, paint each of the child's four fingers with red, green, orange and yellow (see image). 
4. Have child gently place their handprint in the center of the paper plate. Gently press down on the child's hand and each individual finger to ensure a good distribution of paint.
5. Have child lift hand directly up into the air so as not to smear any of the colors.
6. Use a paintbrush to add a red gobbler and an orange beak. Let dry (see image). 
7. While the paint is drying you can glue on the pieces for the frame. Pipe glue around the outside edge of the plate and press the felt squares onto the glue, overlapping the outside of the plate. Alternate the colors to create a pattern.
8. Use black marker to draw legs and feet.
9. Use the handle end of a small paintbrush to add a dot for the eye, let dry. Once dry, use a toothpick to dot on the black.

Tips:

1. You can add a magnet to the back of the plate or use tape and a piece of yarn to create a hanger.
2. Always save scraps of felt and construction paper for projects such as these.
3. Instead of painting on the eye, you can glue on one wiggle eye.

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Turkey Place Card Holders
Your children can help decorate your Thanksgiving table and make a gift
for relatives, with these easy to make pinecone turkeys. For an extra
touch add place cards for your family members and then they can take
the handmade turkeys home.

You'll Need:
A dry pinecone for each guest
chenille stems (pipe cleaners) in brown or tan
Craft feathers
Craft glue
Cardstock paper


Lightly dip the ends of the feathers into the glue and then insert into the back of the pinecone turkey body. Repeat until you have all of your tail feathers. Allow the glue to dry. Fold the chenille stem in half and then bend the tip a bit to make the head. Twist the chenille stem around the tip of the pine cone to create the head and neck and then twist to secure. You may want to fashion some feet with the tips of the stem to help hold the turkey in place. Using cardstock paper, cut, fold and write the name on your place card when it's time to set the table, place it in front of the turkey


Variation for an even easier craft!
You'll Need:
-A dry pinecone for each guest
-chenille stems (pipe cleaners) in brown or tan
-Pine sprigs for each setting
-Address Label stickers
Cut the chenille stems in half with wire cutters. Make a loop and twist
the ends for the feathers. Twist a brown or black chenille for the head and neck. Insert the feathers etc. into the pinecone. Use two address labels for each setting. Write the name on one of the labels. Secure the two labels together with the pipe cleaner in between them both. This avoids a messy glue situation! At table setting time, place the turkeys onto a pine sprig,
add a few nuts and your done!
Kit's Tip: I use the "fuzzy" pipe cleaners for thicker feathers.

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Materials

• Scissors
• Lunch-size paper bag
• Tissue paper (white, yellow, red, and orange)
• Glue stick

• template
• Sand or rocks
• LED tea light

Instructions

1. Cut a circle from the seamless side of a lunch-size paper bag. Use the cutout circle as a guide to cut a slightly larger circle from white or yellow tissue paper.
   
2. Cut skinny triangles of red, orange, and yellow tissue paper for the feathers, and cut two wing shapes from red tissue paper. Use a glue stick to affix the feathers and wings onto the tissue paper circle.
   
3. Cut a turkey body (you can download our template) from the brown paper circle, then glue it to the center of the tissue paper collage.
   
4. Line the edge of the bag's circular hole with more glue, then lay the collage circle on top. Fill the bag with about an inch of sand or rocks and nestle an LED tea light inside.
   

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Bring a bit of British tradition to the Thanksgiving table!

Materials

• Scissors
• Yellow crepe paper streamer
• Toilet paper tube
• Green tissue paper

• Green ribbon
• Paper and markers to make an "I'm thankful for:" form
• Favors including a small writing implement

1. To make this corn cracker, create kernels by snipping a 1/2-inch fringe along one edge of a 4-foot length of yellow crepe paper streamer (folding the streamer a few times makes this go quicker). Wrap the streamer around the cardboard tube.
   
2. Fold a 10- by 12-inch piece of green tissue paper as shown, then roll the tissue around the tube and tie one end with a green ribbon.
   
3. Fill the cracker with favors, a small writing implement, and an"I'm thankful for:" form, then tie the other end with a ribbon.
   

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What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Lay paper bag flat on the work surface.
2. Use crayons or paint (crayons are less messy and will be much easier for younger children) to add stripes of colors to the opening of the bag, about 5-6” long (see image).
3. Open the bag and be sure to add stripes to the sides as well.
4. Cut the strips with scissors (see image).
5. Paint or color the other side of the strips. This is a little messier, so be sure kid are wearing smocks and your work surface is protected. When painting the other side of a strip, the paper may curl up on you. Just hold it flat for a few seconds and this will correct it (see image). Allow the strips to dry completely.
6. Fill the bag halfway with crumpled newspaper.
7. Gather the bag together with your hands, just under the strips, and secure with a rubber band (see image).
8. Pinch the bag, just under the rubber band, to bend the strips upward so that when the bag lies on its side, the strips will be pointing upward. Use your hands to manipulate the strips to point up; these are your turkey’s feathers (see image).
9. Cut the following from felt: Triangle – beak - orange; Heart – gobbler – maroon/red; 2 triangles – feet - brown; Bowtie – green
10. Paint the plastic spoon with tan or brown paint and let dry (see image).
11. Glue the gobbler, beak and eyes onto the spoon face.
12. Place the bag on the work surface on its side with the feathers pointing up. Make a small hole at the end of the bag where the neck and head should be.
13. Push the handle of the plastic spoon into the hole and add some glue to the opening (see image).
14. Cut toes from the flat end of the two brown triangles and dot some glue on the triangle points. Place bag body on top of the feet so glue will catch. Let dry (see image).
15. Glue the bowtie where the spoon meets the bag.

Tips:

1. For added fun, draw a sign on a piece of construction paper that says “Happy Thanksgiving” and glue to the front (chest) of the bag.
2. If you would like to keep the mess minimal, use markers or crayons instead of paint.
3. Save scraps of felt from other projects to use with projects such as this.

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