The Than ksgiving holiday is built around good food, good friends and family, and gathering together to give thanks. Thanksgiving dinner can be even more fun than pumpkin pie with a creative, community Thanksgiving craft.
If you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd this year - or even for just your own family - plan a craft project that everyone can work on together. Thanksgiving crafts can be a fun, team building holiday activity, bringing young and old together at the same table.
Gather up all the Thanksgiving craft supplies ahead of time and set aside a table away from where the food is being prepared. While you put the finishing touches on Thanksgiving dinner, your guests will be busy making a take-home craft or contributing to a centerpiece or serving piece.
Here are three fall craft ideas for Thanksgiving Day or anytime in the autumn.
Turkey Bread Basket
Here's a craft that everyone can get involved in, and then the finished product can be used as a turkey bread basket, to hold rolls or bread on your Thanksgiving dinner table. Each of your Thanksgiving Day guests will get to show his colors and create a little something to add to the community bread basket.
My family made a turkey bread basket several years ago when I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 25 people. Family members of three generations created beautiful feathers in unique designs that reflected themselves, and the finished product was a real community piece of artwork.
For a turkey bread basket you'll need:
- Shoe box, lid removed
- Construction paper in brown, orange, red and yellow
- Cardstock cut into feather shapes, 8-10 inches long
- 2 googly eyes
- Glue
- Glitter, sequins, beads
- Wrapping paper scraps, wallpaper scraps, scrapbooking paper scraps
Make the turkey body by covering the outside of the shoe box with brown construction paper. Make a turkey head out of brown construction paper. Glue on googly eyes, a red gobbler, and other turkey features. Glue turkey head onto the front of the box.
As your Thanksgiving guests arrive, give them materials and have them each make a feather in whatever designs they choose. Staple the feathers to the inside back of the shoe box. After the glue dries, line the box with a cloth napkin and fill with bread or rolls.
Autumn Leaf Placemats
Autumn leaf placemats are an easy craft that can be made and used to decorate and personalize your table.
To make autumn leaf placemats, you'll need:
- Clear Contac paper
- Autumn leaves
- Scissors, regular or pinking shears
Before Thanksgiving Day, gather fallen colorful leaves in varying sizes, shapes and colors. Flatten them by placing them between the pages of heavy books.
When your Thanksgiving guests arrive, have supplies laid out on a work table. Cut 2 pieces of Contac paper about 2 feet long each. Remove the backing from one sheet and place leaves on the sticky side. You can arrange the leaves in a pattern or overlap them in a collage effect. Peel the backing off of the second sheet of Contac paper and carefully place it on top, starting at one end and gradually rolling it down onto the leaves, sealing the leaves between the two Contac sheets. Press out any air bubbles. Trim the edges with scissors.
Mini Pumpkin Turkeys
This is an easy pumpkin craft for kids, and a way to use the mini pumpkins you've had since Halloween. For young children, you may want to print out the paper pieces in turkey body parts and feathers, or even have them cut out ahead of time. Older children and adults may enjoy crafting their own designs.
To make mini pumpkin turkeys, you'll need:
- Mini pumpkins
- Crayons or markers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Toothpicks
- Construction paper in fall colors
Cut out feathers in various colors, a turkey head in brown paper, and eyes, beak and gobbler in various colors. When cutting paper pieces, double up the paper, so you'll have two of each. For each piece, glue them back to back with a toothpick in between, allowing the end of the toothpick to stick out of the bottom edge. Attach the parts to the pumpkin - the head in the front, feathers in the back - by gently sticking the toothpick ends into the pumpkin.
Related Articles:
Gourmet Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Dinner Party Favors
Autumn's Best Recipes
Do-It-Yourself Autumn Centerpieces
Delicious Thanksgiving Desserts
