Looking for a different and simple way to create the turkey bird with little people?
This project uses pinecones which can be found anywhere that there are evergreen trees. While there are many different kinds of cones, for this activity I used the rounded ones. They have an evergreen tree shape when sitting on their flat bottoms.
After gathering them, I want to make sure that they are free of any tiny hosts that could be
hiding in them. I place them on a foil lined cookie sheet and
bake at 250 degrees for about 45 minutes.
It makes the house smell like a pine forest!
To make the turkey body turn the cone on the side and glue it to a circle paper base. Allow it to dry for a day before adding the other parts.
I used a heart punch to create the pieces, but you do not need a punch to do this activity.
I will explain with two other ideas, so keep reading!
The head is one half of a heart and add a paper beak and waddle from paper scraps. The eyes are wiggly just for fun, but can simply be paper circles from scraps. Make the head completely flat on the table and let dry for a little while. It goes on the front of the cone with the branch pieces called scales sticking out.
The tail feathers are colored papers, but can be printed ones for a different look. They go near the back side of the pinecone between the scales with a touch of glue to keep them in place. See the picture above of the side turkey.
Little touches like hats, bows and fake leaves are not needed, but fun to add.
No heart paper punch, no problem!
A simple way for little people to create hearts is to have them fold a piece of paper in half. They grasp the paper on the folded side with their thumb on the top and pointer finger behind as shown in the picture. Thank you to my husband for letting me use his thumb in the picture!
They can then trace around the thumb or have another child do it, then cut on the line. When they open it, they have a heart! It is such fun to see all the different shapes and sizes of the hearts.
Another easier way is to have them fold the paper in half and write the number 2 on the fold. Then they only cut the half heart part of the two on the fold and not the tail.
When they open it again there is a heart!
They are always so proud that they have learned how to make hearts and
will remember forever!
A Thanksgiving activity that is fun to do with making these turkeys is to have the child creative spell what they are thankful for and write it on each tail feather. The littlest learners can dictate what they are happy to have and someone can write them on the feathers for them.
This little turkey is thankful for his friends, family, dog, food, house and toys!
What a cute keepsake for the feast table!
Happy Thanksgiving!
