by Trudy Brown

Created on: November 02, 2009

For many Americans, Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday. It is a time to be with family and appreciate the blessings in our lives. What better way to prepare for a day of thanks than by spending a little quality time with one of your greatest blessings: your kids? It's easy to get wrapped up in watching football or racing frantically around the kitchen. This year slow down and do a few things all together that will create lasting memories and blessings for the Thanksgivings to come.

*Two ways to make turkey centerpieces

Styrofoam turkey

One way to make a turkey centerpiece is to paint a Styrofoam ball brown, paint several craft sticks the colors of a turkey's tail feathers. Other options for tail feathers include using real/craft feathers or doubled-over pipe cleaners. Stick the tail feathers in the ball spread out like a fan. Stick another craft stick in the ball for a head and decorate the head with a face. Use markers or glue on wobbly eyes, an orange construction paper beak, and red construction paper under the beak. Make spindly legs out of two orange pipe cleaners. Bend one end of each to make three-toed claws by making a sort of "W"-shape and wrapping the loose end around the ankle to hold it in place. A sot of hot glue will help make it secure. Stick the pipe cleaners into the bottom front of the Styrofoam ball to give the impression that the turkey is sitting.

Pine cone turkey

Gather pine cones and use them to make pine cone turkeys by gluing some feathers amongst the spines at the broad end (you can also make feathers out of construction paper if you prefer) and gluing a brown pompom to the to the narrow end for a head. Use orange craft foam or construction paper to make the beak and red to make a wattle. Glue the wattle to the beak then glue to the head. Glue wiggly eyes on the head to complete the face. Cut feet out of orange craft foam and glue into the spines on the bottom of the narrow end.

*Hand print turkeys

One thing that generations of children have discovered is that hand prints make wonderful turkeys. Brown paint on the palm and thumb; red, orange, yellow, green on the other fingers and you can press a colorful turkey onto paper. Use markers to add legs, eyes, beak and wattle. Press the hand prints onto card stock and send them to relatives as holiday greeting cards or Thanksgiving dinner invitations. Use fabric paint and make prints on linen napkins and place mats to decorate your Thanksgiving table.

*Decoupage pumpkins

If your children

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