Earlier this week, my daughter came home very excited to demonstrate the Thanksgiving craft she made at school.  The craft session was presented as a way for the third graders to instruct and guide first graders on how to follow a simple set of instructions.  Having already assisted a first grader earlier that day, she decided she was ready to demonstrate and document her craft for a blog post.  Here it is!

Thankful Turkey

Supplies:

• 1 1/2 paper plates
• white, brown, yellow, orange and red construction paper
• brown crayon
• pencil
• kid-friendly rounded-tip scissors
• 1″ circle punch, such as EK Tools circle punch or Friskars circle lever
• stapler

Instructions:

• Color paper plates with brown crayon.  Color the front/top of the whole plate.  Color the back/bottom of half plate.
• Place half plate upside down on full plate and align edges.
• Staple edges together.  (Child may need assistance in keeping seam aligned.)
• Using a large jar lid or other template, trace and cut out a circle on the brown construction paper.  Cut out two white “eyes” using a button for a template or a 1″ circle punch.
• Cut beak and waddle from yellow and red construction paper and fold as shown.  Glue on brown circle to create the turkey’s face as shown above.
• Glue the circle to the top edge of the whole plate, slightly to one side or at about 10 o’clock position) and press firmly in place.

• Trace hand on yellow, red, brown and orange paper and cut out.
• Fan out the handprints and glue to back of top edge of whole paper plate so they create the turkey’s tail feathers.
• Cut out leaf shapes, turkey shapes or other Thanksgiving or Autumn-inspired shapes from remaining construction paper (or keep as simple strips of paper.)
• Invite family and friends to write what they are most thankful for on a piece of paper and place in the Thankful Turkey’s pocket.

Happy Thanksgiving!