Thanksgiving Craft Decorations For The Family

One of the most recognizable symbols of Thanksgiving is a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, and you will find instruction below to create your own. Turkeys are also popular at Thanksgiving time, both as the main dish and as decorations. There are many different ways to create nice turkey that may become a tradition for decorating for years to come.

Thanksgiving Craft: Turkey

The simplest turkey to make is by tracing around a hand, fingers spread. The thumb becomes the head, the other fingers the feathers and the palm is the body of the turkey. Color the turkey, add details like eyes and cut it out. They can be hung on the walls, scattered around the table or used to create a mobile.

Another fun project is a paper mache' turkey. Prepare the paper mache' paste. The two most popular methods are:

Non-cooked - 3 part white glue to 1 part water

Cooked - 1 part flour to 5 parts water, boil about 3 minutes and let cool

Blow up a large balloon and cover with newspaper strips that have been covered in the paste. Once dry, prime the body and paint brown. Cut out colorful feathers, feet, and a head and attach them to the turkey body.

If you don't want the mess of a paper mache' turkey, you can make one out of a paper bag. Stuff the bag with newspaper or plastic bags and shape the body. You can decorate it like the paper mache' turkey, with feathers, feet and a head.

Another turkey craft that could also be used for a game is to make 2-liter bottle turkeys. Put a little bit of sand in the bottom to keep them from falling over. Paint the bottles brown and then decorate them. After you have ten of them, you could let the kids go bowling for turkeys.

If you have a pine tree, as well as other trees that have beautiful fall foliage, in your back yard, you have the makings of a completely free turkey craft. Gather the items from your yard, arrange the leaves on a piece of paper in a fan shape, to look like the turkey's tail feathers. Glue the pinecone at the base for the body. Add google-eyes, or cut out construction paper eyes, feet and beak and you have an adorable turkey right from your own yard.

To create a turkey wreath, cut out a circle of cardboard with the center cut out, leaving about a two-inch ring. Cut strips of red, orange and yellow construction paper an inch wide by about 4 inches long. Glue the ends together to create rings, and arrange them on the wreath for the feathers. Cut out a head and feet and attach at the bottom of the wreath.

With some imagination and a few simple supplies, you can create not only nice decorations for your Thanksgiving celebration, but memories too. Spending the time with your children to make a few turkeys will be remembered long after the pie and stuffing are all gone.

Thanksgiving Craft: Cornucopia Centerpiece

It represents a bountiful harvest. It can make a lovely centerpiece on any holiday table. There are many different ways you could make a cornucopia, using different materials, many of which you can find around your home.

By using a wicker basket shaped like a horn, it is quite easy to do a basic cornucopia. Most craft stores carry them, usually in early fall, if not year round. Once you've selected a lovely basket, you can either fill it with artificial or real fruit and vegetables. If you chose to use real produce, it's probably best to wait to fill the basket the day of your dinner so it doesn't spoil before dinner. Some fall leaves scattered around the cornucopia are a nice finishing touch.

If the children want to make their own cornucopia, they could make it out of paper. There are many patterns online for adorable paper cornucopias. Have the children glue the horn to a green piece of paper and arrange the fruit anyway they want, gluing them in place. They could even be covered in plastic and used as place mats, in addition to a centerpiece. Younger children might need help cutting the more complicated shapes. Remember to supervise children as is appropriate during the cutting and gluing stages of any craft.

Salt dough clay could be used to create a one of a kind cornucopia. With a little patience, forming the horn isn't very difficult. Start with a flattened piece of clay (use a rolling pin to flatten) and trace a circle using a plate. Cut out a wedge, so it can be curled around to make the horn. You can use a funnel to help hold the clay's shape while it dries. Some types of clay can be dried in the oven. Once dry, paint the cornucopia tan. Then make the various fruits and vegetables that you want to fill the cornucopia, following the same drying procedure for the clay you are using. If you want the pieces to last longer, spray them with a clear sealant once the paint has dried completely.

A horn could also be made from paper mache' by using a wire frame shaped like the horn. Some fruits and vegetables could be made over various size balloons. Again fresh or artificial produce could be used to fill the cornucopia as well.

With a little creativity, it does not take long to make a lovely cornucopia centerpiece for your table. Look around your house and you may find all you need already there. Saving some money is always something to be thankful for.