This is a fun craft to do with a young child around the Thanksgiving holiday. There are many different ways to make these apple shaped turkeys by using different edible snacks. You can get creative and use anything from your pantry or fridge to serve as the body parts of the turkey. You can also use any variety of apple that you like!

Apple Turkey

1-2 apples
1 baby carrot (cut a triangle shape for the beak)
mini marshmallows
dried cranberries or raisins
grapes
chocolate chips
prunes
toothpicks

Instructions:
Alternate marshmallows and dried cranberries on each toothpick to serve as the feathers.  Stick them into the top of the apple.  You will need 4-5 toothpicks for the feathers.  Break a toothpick in half to stick the prune into the apple to serve as the face. Cut a marshmallow in half to serve as the eyes. Stick them into the prune using a piece of toothpick.  Cut a dried cranberry in half and stick each piece into the center of the marshmallow to serve as the eye balls.  If the marshmallow is a little wet, the dried cranberry will stick in place.  A chocolate chip can be used as well.  Break another toothpick in half to stick the grapes into the bottom of the apple to serve as the feet.  Stick the triangle shaped carrot into the prune with a piece of toothpick to serve as the beak.  You can use your apple turkeys as decoration or let your children eat them!

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I have finally gotten all of my decorations out for the holiday. I came across this Turkey Handprint craft I made with my children last year and thought that I should share it! It requires very little artistic skill! It was quick and easy to create and I plan to display it as part of my Thanksgiving decoration for years to come! It was fun to see the size of my children’s handprints/footprints from one year ago! This craft is best done with children ages 4 and under (due to size of their hands/feet). My kids were ages 3 and under at the time.

Items Needed:

Red, gold, orange, brown, and black acrylic paint
Sponge brush
Medium size paint brush
Paper plate
Fall stickers
Scrapbook paper in fall colors

Instructions:

Use the paper plate as your pallet for your paint colors. Using the sponge brush, paint the inside of your hand with the brown paint. Make a handprint in the center of your paper. Let it dry before adding your children’s hands/feet. Using the other fall colors, paint and stamp your children’s handprint or foot print over top your fingers to serve as the turkey’s tail fan feathers. If you only have one or two children, let them make multiple prints. Make sure you have easy access to a sink to wash their hands/feet right away! You may want to wait for the prints to dry before adding more. Make sure your children are wearing an apron or old clothing. After the prints are dry, use the paint brush to add feet, a beak, eyes, the wattle (red skin hanging from it’s neck) and the feathers on the side of the turkey. Remember, it does not have to look perfect! I found a pilgrim hat sticker that I added to the turkey, but that is optional. I cut strips of paper to serve as a border. You could frame your project, or even use it for a scrapbook page.

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I sat down with my three year old daughter to make a Thanksgiving Turkey Craft today. She is three and really into crafts now, so I pre-cut the shapes that she needed before we started the craft. I always try to let her do the craft by herself with a little guidance. I got the idea for the craft today from Enchanted Learning. If you need more ideas, be sure to visit the website. I modified the craft for my daughter since she is only three, but this is the perfect craft for older children if they can write–have them write what they are thankful for around each feather (as seen in the picture below).

She was very proud of her turkey and we displayed him on the refrigerator and named him, “Tom!”

My daughter brought this home from school today and I HAD to share it with you! I thought this little turkey was adorable and he is very easy to make!

The turkey’s body is a pine cone, turned sideways. The head is a cotton ball (glued on to the pine cone). His eyes are googly eyes and his beak and wattle are made from felt (yellow= beak, red=wattle)–also glued on. The feathers are stuck in the back of the pine cone. His legs are made with a black pipe cleaner (wrapped around the pine cone).

This is an easy and cute little craft for the little ones to make!