Category — Thanksgiving Activities

You can make this easy pumpkin turkey centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dinner kid’s table.
You’ll need
pumpkin
styrofoam ball
yellow & red tissue paper
twist tie or string
straight pins, tape & toothpicks
paper for turkey feathers
Cut enough yellow tissue paper to wrap around the styrofoam ball and still have enough to spread over the top of the pumpkin as shown in the photo. Secure with a twist tie. Use straight pins to secure to the pumpkin. Add a small piece of red tissue for the wattle and secure with straight pin. Make eyes and beak from scrap paper or use a marker. Cut as many feathers as you have grandchildren and write a name on each. Tape a toothpick to the back of the feather so it’s easy to stick into the pumpkin. There are so many variations to this craft so use whatever items you have available and create your own Thanksgiving pumpkin centerpiece.

More Thanksgiving activities

Download the Turkey Category Game
Number of Players: 2 or more
Each player needs a Turkey Category Sheet and a pencil.
The object of the game is to get the most words in each column that begin with the letter.
Playing the Game:
1. Decide on one category (fruits, vegetables, names, colors, states, cities, countries, holiday things).
Choose categories that are appropriate to the ages of the players.
2. Set a time period for each column (1-3 minutes depending on the ages of those playing).
3. Each player writes as many words as they can think of that begin with the letter in the column.
4. When time is up, taking turns, each player reads their list. If any other player has the same word all players that have that word cross it off their list.
5. The player with the most words left in their columns is the winner.
6. You can do all the columns at the same time or separate depending on the ages of those playing.

Example: Category – Countries
T – Turkey, U – United States, R – Russia, K – Korea, E – Ethiopia, Y – Yemen

You will need a strip of paper about 12 – 18 inches wide and slightly shorter than the length of your table.
You can get butcher paper in various colors at craft stores or school supply stores.
Before you set your Thanksgiving table have children and adults make turkeys on the paper by tracing their hand print. On the feathers (the 4 fingers) they write things they are grateful for. Next, color the thumb to look like the turkey head and neck. It will be fun at dinner to see everyone’s turkey and what they are thankful for.
You can also use the same idea but with individual placemats.

What you’ll need for each turkey:

• 2 wafer cookies (I used vanilla wafers)
• 1 large gumdrop
• 5 candy corns
• 1 red hot or red M & M
• 2 chocolate chips or 1 brown M & M cut in half
• frosting

To assemble:
Put frosting on 1 cookie and add gumdrop. This will be the body.
With frosting to secure, add red candy (wattle) and brown candy (eyes).
On the 2^nd cookie spread frosting and add candy corns.
These will be the feathers.
Attach the two cookies together with frosting as shown in the photograph
As the frosting hardens the turkey will become more secure.

Download the Favorite Food Bar Graph The bar graph activity will be fun for Thanksgiving or any other time during the month.