Take a Decorating Hint from the Kids for Thanksgiving

Want to make a decorative keepsake that generations will love? Get the kids involved. Get together with your guests and their kids, preferably before the party. Have the kids cut out their hand prints on different fall colors of paper; the idea is to make a turkey's tail feathers from their handprints. Have the kids cut out a hand print in each color for every letter of their name. For example, if the child's name is Markus you would have them cut out 6 handprints in each of red, brown, gold, and white. Then have the kids write their names on the hand prints, one letter for each hand, and an entire name in each of the colors. You want the letters to take up most of the hand print so it can be seen clearly from a distance. Make sure you help the littlest ones with the writing. Let the kids do the cutting if they are ready to use scissors; it makes the keepsake that much more special if most of the work is done by the kids.

Some of the smaller children will get bored quickly, so break it up over a couple of weeks or months, do a different color each family gathering before Thanksgiving or offer to do ½ of the cutting yourself. Or write your guests and ask them to complete the process at home when the kids need an activity so they can send you the handprints before the big day. It will help your guests give the kids something extra fun to do around the house.

Now that you have all the handprints the real fun begins. The idea is to make a turkey tail out of the handprints. Poster putty is the easiest to use but you can also use small pieces of double sided tape. Just make sure it doesn't peel your paint from the wall first. Or you can glue the hands to a large poster board or butcher paper sheet(s) so the entire creation can be kept for years to come. Put the hands in rainbow bands, making the arches of the tail feathers, across your wall or the paper. Make certain you put the hands in order to spell the child's name and keep them together. You also want to mix up which name is where in each of the bands. Depending on how many kids participate will determine the size of your turkey tail.

The body is simple, just cut a bowling pin in half. You can find split pins in craft and hobby stores. You can also contact your local bowling alley, they may have broken pins they might sell cheap or give away. The local hardware store can split the pin for a small fee. Don't forget to drill a hole for a nail or screw to hang this in front of the tail, or purchase a frame bracket to hang it with. Paint the pin brown. Add a waddle, beak, eyes and legs. Painting them is easiest, but if you are a woodworker you can probably create a very likeable resemblance to a real turkey by joining wood. This will last longer so you can repeat your creation year after year. Hang your turkey body at the base of the tail. Make sure you take lots of pictures to send to the guests who's children helped. Once Thanksgiving dinner is over the kids can make a game of finding their handprints and taking them home.