TURKEYS




Paper Bag Turkeys

Give each child a brown paper grocery bag (any size) and several sheets of newspaper. Have the children crumple the sheets of the newspaper and stuff them into their bags until the bags are half full. Twist the bags closed and tie them aroun the middle with pieces of yarn. To make tails for their paper bag turkeys, have the children make several cuts from the top edges of their bags down to the yarn ties. Let the children paint their turkey tails, using bright autumn colors. Then give each child a precut turkey head shape to decorate. Attach the head shapes to the fronts of the bags to complete the turkeys.




Paper Collage Turkeys

Cut turkey shapes out of brown construction paper. Give each child a turkey shape and scraps of colorful construction paper. Let the children tear the construction paper into small pieces. Have them glue the torn pieces on their turkey shapes to make colored feathers. Then let them use felt-tip markers to add eyes and other features.




Turkey in the Barnyard

Have the children paint their fingers and palms brown and their thumbs red. Then have them press their hands on a large sheet of butcher paper to make "turkey" prints. After the paint had dried, let the children add eyes, beaks, legs and feet with felt-tip markers. Hang the paper on a wall or bulletin board. Add barnyard shapes cut from construction paper (a large red barn, a fence, etc.) to make a barnyard mural.




My Turkey

As you recite the poem below, have the children act out the movements described.


I have a turkey, big and fat.

He spreads his wings

(Fan hands at hips.)

And walks like that.

(Struts back and forth.)

His daily corn he would not miss,

(Pretend to eat corn.)

And when he talks, he sounds like this --

Gobble, gobble, gobble.




Five Little Turkeys

Cut five turkey shapes out of brown felt. Cut feather shapes out of other colors of felt and glue them to the turkey shapes. Place all the turkey shapes on a flannelboard. Remove one shape at a time as you recite the poem below.


Five little turkeys by the barn door,

One waddled off, then there were four.


Four little turkeys out under the tree,

One waddled off, then there were three.


Three little turkeys with nothing to do,

One waddled off, then there were two.


Two little turkeys in the noonday sun,

One waddled off, then there was one.


One little turkey - better run away!

Soon will come Thanksgiving Day.




Turkey Feather Game

Cut five turkey body shapes out of brown felt and fifteen feather shapes out of red, yellow and orange felt. Number the turkey body shapes from 1 to 5 and put them on a flannelboard. Place the feather shapes in a pile. To play the game, have the children take turns selecting a turkey, identifying the number on it and adding that many feathers to it.




Pin the Feather on the Turkey

Draw a picture of a featherless turkey on a large piece of posterboard. Attach the picture to a wall. Put loops of masking tape (sticky sides out) on the backs of real or paper feathers and place the feathers on a table close to the turkey picture. Have the children take turns choosing a feather from the table and then closing their eyes while they try to "pin" the feather on the turkey. (The crazy placement of all the feathers adds to the fun.)




Turkey Strut

Use pieces of masking tape to make turkey footprints all over the floor. Start playing some music. Let the children pretend to be turkeys and strut around the room. When you stop the music, have the turkeys find footprints to stand on (one turkey to a footprint). When you start the music again, have the turkeys continue strutting around the room.




Stuff the Turkey

Make a turkey by opening a large grocery bag and rolling down the top edges three or four times. Place the bag on the floor, open end up. Stuff the bottom halves of two small lunch sacks with newspaper, fasten the tops with twist ties and mold them into turkey leg shapes. Attach the leg shapes to the sides of the large bag. Give thechildren 6-inch squares of newspaper. Let them take turns "stuffing the turkey" by crumpling the newspaper squares and tossing them into the large grocery bag turkey.




Hello, Mr. Turkey

Sung to : "If You're Happy and You Know It"


Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?

Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?

With a gobble, gobble, gobble,

And a wobble, wobble, wobble.

Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?




Graham Cracker Turkeys

Combine in a blender 1/4 cup unsweetened frozen apple juice concentrate, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 sliced banana, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup graham flour, 1 cup whole-wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the apple juice mixture to the flour mixture and stir thoroughly. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out turkey shapes with a cookie cutter. Using a fork, poke holes in the turkeys to make eyes and feathers. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Serve the turkey crackers plain or let the children spread them with peanut butter. Makes 2 to 3 dozen turkeys.




Turkey Fruit Cups

For each child, scoop out the center of an orange half (cut first along the inside of the rind). Dice the orange segments, 1/4 of an apple and 1/4 of a banana and combine the pieces in a small bowl. If desired, add chopped nuts. Fill the orange cup with the diced fruit. Add a toothpick for a neck, a round carrot slice for a head and half a toothpick for a beak. Stick 2 celery leaves in the back of the cup for feathers. Place a lettuce leaf on a plate to make a leafy bed for the fruit cup turkey.

Note: Have the children remove the toothpicks before eating their fruit cup turkeys.


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