|
 
by
Jennifer Moeller
Thanksgiving celebrations revolve around the
four F’s: fellowship, family, friends and – of
course – food. It’s a busy day, with lots of
cooking and visiting with the people we love, as
well as keeping the youngest family members
occupied until dinner is served. Avoid holiday
boredom by exploring these ideas to spice up the
day.
Crafts:
 Turkey placemats: Children can color or
paint construction paper with a focus on
creating a “Thanksgiving feel.” Try making a
handprint turkey using paint and the palm of the
hand. To make your placemat last longer, cover
the construction paper with clear contact paper.
Fall wreath: Cut out the inner circle of a
paper plate. Then either collect real leaves or
cut out leaves using earth-toned construction
paper. Glue the leaves to the plate.
Thanksgiving tablecloth: Purchase an
inexpensive, white tablecloth. Then allow the
entire family to draw or decorate pictures of
what Thanksgiving means to them. Alternatively,
have family members write what they are thankful
for.
Turkey centerpiece:
Create a turkey using 1½ empty toilet paper
rolls. Glue the ½ roll onto the full roll to
create the head and body of the turkey. Then use
either feathers or create your own feathers with
construction paper and glue them to the back of
the turkey’s body. Add wiggly eyes and
other accessories.
Leaf necklace: You will need a leaf pattern
or fall leaves, craft foam sheets in fall
colors, yarn or beading string (available in
craft stores), hole punch, fall-colored beads.
Trace around leaf patterns or leaves and then
cut out the shapes. Decorate with markers,
crayons, glitter, etc. Punch a hole in each leaf
stem. Thread your string or yarn through the
leaves and beads for a beautiful fall necklace.
(homeschooled-kids.com)
“Get Off the Couch” Activities:
“Deer and Hunter”: “Duck, Duck, Goose!” but
using the phrase “Deer, Deer, Hunter!”
“Fox and Rabbit”: Find a grassy, open area.
Select one person to be the fox and another to
be the rabbit. Both of these players are
blindfolded. The other members will then spin
the fox and rabbit in circles several times and
then let them loose. Relying on sound, the fox
tries to find the rabbit while the rabbit tries
to avoid being caught. The other players act as
trees and help direct the rabbit and fox if they
get out of the designated area.
Pin the Tail on the Turkey: Draw a turkey
without feathers. Cut out feathers from
construction paper. Place double-sided tape on
the feathers and have the children try to tape
them onto the turkey blindfolded.
Beanbag Game: Make no-sew beanbags. Just
glue them together and then decorate them on the
outside. Draw a Thanksgiving theme picture on
cardboard and cut holes in it. Children can
throw their beanbags at the picture and try to
get them through the holes.
Relay Races: Divide into teams and give
each team a hard-boiled “turkey” egg. One player
from each team must then balance the egg on a
spoon, run to a designated spot, and then return
to the starting position to pass the egg and
spoon to the next teammate. The first team to
have all of its members complete the race wins.
Recipes:
 Marshmallow
Pilgrim Hats
24 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies
12-ounce package of chocolate chips
24 marshmallows (large)
Tube of yellow decorator’s frosting
Wooden toothpicks
Set the chocolate-striped cookies on a tray
covered with wax paper, stripes down.
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or
double boiler.
One at a time, stick a wooden toothpick into a
marshmallow, dip the marshmallow into the melted
chocolate, and promptly center it atop a cookie.
Use a second toothpick to lightly hold down the
marshmallow and carefully pull out the first
toothpick.
Chill the hats until the chocolate sets, then
pipe a yellow decorators' frosting buckle (a
square shape) on the front of each hat. (Source: FamilyFun.com)
 Edible Turkey
1 Milk Maid caramel square
1 Ritz cracker
1 Hershey’s Kiss
A small mixture of Royal Icing
Candy corn
Unwrap the Hershey’s Kiss and lightly dab the
flat part in Royal Icing. Place the Kiss toward
the bottom of the Ritz cracker.
Dab the backside of the candy corn in icing and
place above the Kiss on the cracker for the
feathers.
You may also dab the short end of the caramel
square in icing and stick it to the backside of
the cracker for a stand, but these treats are
just as nice flat on the plate. (Source: dltk-holiday.com)
Apple Turkey
Push sturdy toothpicks into the base of a red
apple to form the legs of the turkey. Insert one
toothpick onto the top of the apple and push a
large marshmallow through it.
Behind the marshmallow on the turkey’s “back,”
place 4-5 more toothpicks in the apple and put
gumdrops on the sticks for feathers. Decorate a
face using raisins and nuts. (Source: ChildFun.com.)
|
A
male turkey is called a tom; female is called a hen.