Thanksgiving Fun

PINE CONE TURKEY TUTORIAL HERE! 

This year for Thanksgiving we did the "Feast" in my classroom. All the kids made Pilgrim hats and bonnets and we do placecards and set up all the desks into 2 long lines facing each other. Then we decorate the table with our creations and I typed up lots of silly G- rated jokes and Knock Knocks on the Turkey Day theme (i.e. What goes ha ha ha bam! -- A turkey laughing his head off) and we have a Thanksgiving feast. Really we all go get the cafeteria lunch which is turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie. They have the whole thing done for us and although it isn't like what you get at Marie Callendars or anything, it's fun and the kids all loved it. They are so cute telling jokes to each other and laughing tentatively at the ones they don't get!  Here's a picture of our Thanksgiving placecards this year.  They are really easy to make. Add some knock knock turkey jokes so you can crack your own families up next year! 

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

PINE CONE TURKEY TUTORIAL!!!

THANKSGIVING TABLE DECOR

You will need:
6  rainbow colors of chenille stems
a pine cone, 
one brown pom pom, 
an orange fat/skinny chenille stem (shaped like a snowman nose)
wiggly eyes
 Wrap the chenille stems around the bottom circumference of the pine cone and twist once so you have the 2 end parts sticking out like a V.  Then twist those 2 together at the ends to make one teardrop shaped loop, or like a bunny's ear.  Do this again with a different color. Make all the loops on one side of the pine cone so they look like a turkey's feathers. I make sure the pine cone can sit level on a table too.

 I start with red and do orange, yellow, green, blue, purple,  the order of the rainbow. Then take a glue gun and add a brown pom pom for the head on the other side of all these cute feathers. Add 2 googly eyes purchased from Hobby Lobby or Walmart.  Lastly, add a snipped off piece of the orange fat chenille stem. They end up looking like a carrot but are perfect for a turkey " beak".

Lastly I went online and found these adorable placecard tags. I printed off 8 of them for my own Thanksgiving guests at my table. They come in pumpkin orange and kind of a sage green.  I laminated them so I could reuse them next year. (If you don't have lamination then just use a roll of clear, fat, book tape or something similar to protect them. Then use a dry erase marker for putting the family names. You can wipe it off after dinner and reuse them. The Link is here for the placecards.   http://parenting.leehansen.com/downloads/crafts/cards/Thanksgiving/turkey-placecards.pdf

PINE CONE TURKEY TUTORIAL 

KIDS THANKSGIVING DECORATIONS

I made a little table for my granddaughters to sit at and used little plates and cups for them and a cute little tablecloth. I think they loved being at their own little table. They really LOVED their little turkey placecards! I'll have to think of something cute to

PINE CONE TURKEY TUTORIAL 

put on the tables for Christmas! Maybe some little pinecone snowmen! I've got TONS of pinecones out in our front yard under our trees. Hmmm... another repurposing crafty project...

I purchased these kiddie melamine plates at Target  for the upcoming Christmas holiday dinner. I think I will start a collection of holiday kiddie plates if I can find them this inexpensive! I only paid $2.00 for the plates and $3.00 for the cute glittery cups and $1.00 for the red silverware! And they had placemats and bowls to match at Target. I love that store.  I could easily make a simple snowman tablecloth if I want to matchy match.  That might be easier than placemats since my kiddie table is kinda tiny.  I'll have to see what kind of fabric they have at Hobby Lobby tomorrow.

Pottery Barn Kids had some DARLING plates and cups and decorations for holiday tables but I wasn't keen on paying $14.00 for 1 little plate. But it is great for ideas and it sure is fun to browse the beautiful store and enjoy their great decorations. Just treking down to Trolley Square in Salt Lake is always a fun adventure anyways. And I now have a few ideas of my own for my little granddaughters' itty bitty Christmas table decor.

 Marisa and Megan loved seeing all the cute new toys PBKs had out for Christmas and they had fun playing in the pretend kitchen there.  My daughter and I topped off our day of Holiday shopping with a lunch at Red Lobster, my favorite seafood restaurant. I loved hanging out with Megan and Marisa. Notice their cute turkey shirts my daughter made? So cute!