Turkey Day Magnet

AGE RANGE:  PROJECT SHOULD BE EASILY ACCOMPLISHED BY AGES 4 AND UP WITH HELP FROM PARENT OR GUARDIAN

APPROXIMATE TIME:  1 - 1 1/2 HOURS

Children, with help from their parents or guardians, will create a Thanksgiving holiday craft. Use this as an oppertunity to learn more about American and North American history.

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOME

Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln. But, the story of the first Thanksgiving dates all the way back to the pilgrims.

Before Europeans came to North America the continent was far from empty, it was filled with hundreds of Nations and Tribes of people with rich languages and cultures. The ancestors of North America's First Nations still work to this day to preserve their culture and way of life. 

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, but it also has a complicated history. If you are interested in resources to help teach young minds about Thanksgiving this Education World article is good starting point.
If you are interested in expanding your realm of knowledge and gratitude to include more indigenous history and perspectives you can find a great children's book list by the Seattle Public Library.

Art Materials Needed
Art Materials Needed
  • 6 jumbo popsicle sticks 
  • 2 regular size popsicle sticks 
  • Brown paint 
  • Orange, red, and yellow paint 
  • Paintbrush 
  • Black buttons 
  • Red balloon 
  • Scrap of orange construction paper 
  • Scissors 
  • Glue 
  • Small magnet 
Project Instructions

  1. Take 6 jumbo popsicle sticks and lay them out side by side 
  2. Clip the ends off of two regular popsicle sticks with scissors 
  3. Place glue along the popsicle sticks and place them on the jumbo sticks 
  4. Once the glue has dried, paint the popsicle sticks brown 
  5. Next take six jumbo sticks and paint two red, two orange, and two yellow 
  6. Once the paint on the individual sticks has dried, place glue on the tip of each stick, layering them into a fan 
  7. Next, take two black buttons and glue those onto the base of the turkey 
  8. Next, take a red balloon and clip the end off
  9. Glue the balloon to the middle of the turkey base
  10. Now, take a small piece of orange scrap construction paper and fold it in half 
  11. Cut a triangle shape from the fold of the paper and glue this to the base of the red balloon to create a beak 
  12. Now, take the fan that you created earlier and glue that to the back
  13. Once all the glue has dried, glue a small magnet to the back of your turkey and let it dry
  14. And there you have it, your very own turkey magnet made for turkey day!