Kid Craft Corner: Little Pumpkin Turkeys

When our minds wander to Thanksgiving crafts, most of us recall tracing our once little hands to make turkeys. “Turkey hands,” whether done in a rudimentary fashion or fancifully cut out, are here to stay. However, if you’re in the market for a new Thanksgiving craft that can double as a decoration, this craft is for you! These little turkey pumpkins repurpose leftover Halloween gourds and include a visit outside to get the best fall leaf. Depending on the age of your child, this craft may require some help with preparation and supervision.

To make one pumpkin turkey, you’ll need:

One small pumpkin, preferably palm sized and with the stem removed
Two googly eyes
Scissors
Glue
Brown, yellow, and red construction paper
Thumbtack
One large fall leaf

Directions:

Begin by preparing the construction paper for each part of the turkey:

Head: Cut out a long bulb shape. You’ll need extra “neck” to fold later.
Beak: Cut out a small triangle of the yellow construction paper.
Feet: Cut out a bubble shaped W with a flat, uniform base (see picture).
Wattle: Cut out a red squiggle about the same size as the beak.

Prepare the turkey head:

Depending on how long you want your turkey neck, fold about 1 inch of the turkey headpiece back. This will serve as a kickstand for step 3.
Glue the eyes to the center of the rounded bulb section.
Glue the turkey wattle to about where the head meets the neck.
Attach the triangle so the point of the beak meets the center of the wattle.

Attach the turkey head to the pumpkin.

With the folded inch of the turkey neck, put a generous dab of glue to attach to the stem section of the pumpkin. You may need to hold down for a few seconds to ensure it sticks.