Thanksgiving Day Turkey Craft

I haven't posted a craft for the kiddos in a while. However, I am excited that Turkey Day is just around the corner! I've decided to embrace my role as "babysitter" at Thanksgiving this year. Need a last minute idea that keeps the kids busy? Stick around! ;)

After being inspired on Pinterest, I started cutting out all the parts essential to making a turkey. I wanted to include scrapbook paper for feathers, but I also didn't want to wipe out my stash. Ha! Who am I kidding. Paper Packs from Hobby Lobby last for years. If you are taking notes from me, DON'T be stingy with your scrapbook paper. Anyway...I also included some newspaper and wrapping paper.

Somewhere in the midst of my paper mess, the turkey beaks changed from orange to yellow. Magic!

If you are doing this craft for a large group of children, I suggest making extras of everything. You will need way more than what you think. Kids have a way of...

1| Running out of items

2| Losing small pieces of paper

These turkeys are ready to go! I just need to find two cute cousins to help assemble them. Something tells me that won't be hard. 

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Reasons to Smile: November 2012

Finding joy in the little things!

• Plush turkeys that I made for my cousins - these little guys are made out of children's gloves and scrap ribbon!
• Sunsets on the drive home from our Thanksgiving festivities
• Giving thanks unto the Lord, for He is good 
• Hershey Kiss Acorns were a big hit at church and at our family gathering. I'm glad I made a double batch!
• Visits from Guinness when I am working on something in my room
• Bright green grass at the end of November
• Watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade 
• Eating fruit pizza is one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions. Somehow the baking of this yummy treat has gotten passed down to me over the years.

"Setting the Turkeys Free" Craft

I didn't think I would be able to check out this book 7 days before turkey day, but there it was sitting on the shelf! It did have holds placed on it, but the librarian allowed me to check it out anyway. Sorry to the little kids who were waiting for the book! I returned it as fast as I could. I promise.

I gave the kids their cutout handprints, tissue paper, glue, sequins, construction paper, markers, crayons, tin foil, and toothpicks. This was a nice craft that didn't need too much overseeing. I let the kids decorate their turkeys however they wanted without giving them too much instruction. 

This is what the table looked like when the kids were done! I think I've finally found something messier than when the kids eat Nature Valley bars for their snack...Besides the sequins on the floor, it cleaned up pretty fast. 

Note: L was feeling tired today. She gave me this look when I told her to remove her thumb from her mouth. "When Mom sees this picture she is going to find out that you were sucking your thumb!" ;)

Cute? I think so! These birds were customized all the way down to their gobblers.

"You can use one of the paper gobbles or color your own, but you have to make one. What's a turkey without a gobble?" -Me

"Hey! The Turkey Without a Gobble! That would be a funny book!" -Gabe

I decided to use the vacuum after I finished sweeping to speed things up. Super tired Lu volunteered help clean the kitchen! She was pretty proud to show me how fast she could make the piles disappear. "I told you I am good at this, Angela!" Please excuse the tongue...She smiled for the first picture, but this one happened to be less blurry.

I wrapped up the vacuum's cord and pushed the chairs back to their rightful spots. My helper didn't have to wait too long for me to read the book, and we both were reminded that many hands make light work!

A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart

Let me start by telling you that I enjoy our library. It's pretty big, and sometimes it feels like home. I say that because I am comfortable there. We used to go to story time, attended their special nights, and I loved checking out their awesome books. Okay, the last thing is still true, but there hasn't been a lot of time for me to read. 

I do find the time to check out some children's books for my job. It's nice to pull out a book when the kids are starting to get wild. It helps calm things down until their mom gets home. We had a funny moment on Tuesday when Noah said, "What would Angela do without that blue backpack?" It's true. My trusty backpack holds the much needed entertainment.

I was filling my bag up with stories about turkeys and pilgrims when I spotted their cute Thanksgiving display. I called the staff the next day to ask if I could share it with you guys. I had to laugh at how many times I was transferred with my question. I finally contacted the person who made it. I guess leaving phone messages is actually useful. Even though I hate doing it.

So without further ado here are a few things that my community is thankful for. A special thanks to Sara 

for allowing me to take a few pictures of my favorites!

A big shoutout goes out to all Foster Parents and couples who have adopted children into their family.

This may not have been the way that you dreamed of starting a family, but God knew the exact child that needed you. It makes me smile to think about the many children that have been placed in loving homes Thanksgiving.

I wasn't shocked to see that someone already wrote that they were thankful for family, friends, and love.

Who wouldn't be thankful to have these three blessings in their life? I was glad to see that they were included in the party of leaf gratitude. This meant that I could write something else because someone had already gotten it out of the way. ;)

This leaf was at the top of the tree, and I'm so glad that I didn't miss it. When it caught my eye I almost burst out in laughter.

It makes me smile to see little kids that aren't afraid to be thankful for things that adults might overlook. Little things can be just as important as the big things. I think its perfectly acceptable to be thankful for cake.

Then we have the mothers who are thankful to be their kids teachers - on good or bad days this is true. It is a tremendous responsibility. I know I am thankful that my mom was able to homeschool her two kids from preschool through high school. 

If you are given this opportunity it's a blessing in many areas. Whether you're the teacher or the student.

Lastly, we have my leaf! I stood there for a while thinking about what I would write. These branches had a lot of things hanging from them. There were some notes included about God, but I wanted to add something that might have been missing. A personal relationship with Christ! 

A few nights ago I was thinking about when I placed my trust in the Lord as my Savior. I'm thankful for God's simple plan of Salvation. It is real, available to us, and even a four year old can understand it.

A thankful heart is a happy heart. May your heart find reasons to be thankful this Thankgiving and every day!