Facts About Turkeys for Kids: Classroom Connections

Teaching kids about holidays and traditions in an important part of their education. What better way to teach about Thanksgiving than to tie concepts together from several content areas to create an integrated curriculum. These turkey facts for kids build science, social studies and literacy skills and add a little fun to the holidays as well.

How did the turkey get his name?

No one knows for sure how the turkey got his name. Many people believe that when Columbus brought the turkey back to England other traders brought birds form Africa through a trading route in the country of Turkey at the same time. People thought they were the same bird and began to call them "Turkey birds".

How big is a turkey?

Wild turkeys are smaller than those raised by farmers to sell in the grocery store, but they are the largest game wild game bird in America. Males can weigh up to 25 pounds, but usually weigh 17 or 18 pounds. Females are smaller and weigh 9 to 10 pounds. Wild turkeys are about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall.

Domestic turkeys raised by farmers weigh about twice as much as a wild turkey. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest domestic turkey weighed about 86 pounds. That is enough turkey to feed over 50 hungry people, but too big to fit in a regular oven.

What do wild turkeys look like?

Wild turkeys do not have white feathers like those raised on farms. Their feathers are dark brown and white. However, the most amazing thing about turkeys is that their necks and heads do not have feathers and their skin changes color according to their moods.

When turkeys get excited or angry their heads and neck turn bright colors and may even turn red or blue.

Turkeys have a flap of loose skin that hangs over their beak, called a snood. The snood turns bright red when the turkey is angry. Male turkeys, called "toms" or "gobblers", have larger snoods than the female turkeys. Female turkeys are called hens.

The turkey's wattle is similar to the snood, but hangs below his chin. This flap of skin wiggles when he struts and turns bright red when he is angry or trying to attract a mate.

When the old tom turkey wants to show off for the hens, he puffs up his feathers and fans his tail like a peacock. He then struts around to make sure all the hens notice him.

Can turkeys fly?

Domestic turkeys are too heavy to fly, but wild turkeys can. When a wild turkey wants to make a quick get-a-way, he can fly 55 miles an hour for a short distance-that is as fast as speeding car. He can also glide for up to a mile without flapping his wings.

Baby turkeys are hatched in a nest on the ground and cannot fly for the first two weeks. Young turkeys, called poults, stay with their mothers for the first year.

Using Thanksgiving themes in the classroom to build academic skills adds variety to the curriculum and teaches kids about culture and customs as well. Use these turkey facts for kids to build classroom connections to geography, history, science and literacy skills.

For more Thanksgiving activities for the classroom visit Free Printable Thanksgiving Minibooks and Thanksgiving Crafts: Ice Cream Cone Cornucopia.

SOURCES:
J.Giannetta. Sackschools.ca. Turkey Facts
Aristotle's Thanksgiving on the Web. Turkey Facts
Kids Zone. The American Turkey