The tradition of having turkey for Thanksgiving is as old as the holiday itself. The iconic symbol has been created and recreated by child crafters for generations. Variations on the hand turkey, or a crafted turkey made from tracing a child's hand have also become a tradition for the special day of giving thanks. Try a few variations of the original to decorate for the meal or to simply spend constructive time with children.
Stuffed Turkey
Along with the tradition of serving the bird on Thanksgiving, stuffing the turkey is also a very traditional addition to the meal. Create a different stuffed bird with this craft. Trace a child's hand two times on a piece of brown construction paper and cut out. Use dull scissors to make the turkey appear fuzzy. Allow the child to color a one eye and the feathers on each of the hands. Assure they are turned so that each piece makes one side of the bird. Punch small holes around the entire turkey and let the child bind the two pieces of paper together by looping brown yarn through the holes. Leave a small opening at the top to stuff the bird with small strips of crumpled newspaper or pillow stuffing. Finish sewing up the bird and tie-off your string. For additional decoration, allow the child to glue colored, fuzzy balls or yarn onto the feather fingers. Use the string ties to hang the creation.
Hand and Foot Turkey
For a twist on the original hand turkey, trace a child's hand four times on construction paper: two on yellow and two on orange. Trace the child's shoe two times onto brown construction paper. Cut out all six pieces with sharp scissors. Align the heels of the feet together and slightly fan out the toes to make a wider body for the bird. Glue the feet together. Have the child draw a face in the heel area or use pre-made eyes and cut a beak out of red construction paper. Arrange the hands onto the back of the turkey body to create the feathers.
The Original With a Twist
To update the original hand turkey for the holiday season trace the child onto brown paper and cut out. Allow the child to decorate the face with crayons or supply pre-made eyes from a craft store. Spray the colored item with canned starch and allow it to dry. This will stiffen the paper. Cut the frays off of colorful feathers. Apply clear glue to the finger area of the turkey and let the child attach the feather pieces on both sides of the bird.
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