by May Monten

Created on: November 16, 2010

Pine cone crafts bring a traditional feeling to Thanksgiving decor and evoke many pleasant associations. The pine cones remind us of the Pilgrims who lived so close to the wild forests. The natural materials remind us to give thanks for the bounty of nature. Children and adults can work together to make pine cone crafts, making the crafts projects ideal activities for such a family-oriented holiday as Thanksgiving.

* Preparing the pine cones

Fresh pine cones may contain seeds, sap, and even insects. You can deal with all of these by baking the pine cones before using them. The Family Crafts section of About.com recommends putting them on a foil-lined cookie sheet and baking them in a 200-degree oven for 45 minutes.

* Pine cone turkey

A pine cone is an ideal shape to suggest a turkey's body. Add on a beak and some feathers, and you have a very cute turkey which will look great in the middle of the Thanksgiving table.

The Enchanted Learning site suggests using construction paper to make the turkey's feathers. Cut out feather shapes using paper in autumn colors such as orange, brown, green, and yellow. Glue them to one side of the wide end of the pine cone.

Make a beak by gluing an acorn onto the opposite end the pine cone. Draw eyes on paper, cut them out, and glue them to the sides of the acorn, or use googly eyes bought at a craft store. Cut out a "wattle" from red paper and glue that to the front of the acorn. And, voila: one adorable turkey!

* Pine cone owl

Pine cones are a versatile material for crafts projects. While a pine cone on its side suggests a turkey, a pine cone standing up suggests an owl. 

The craftster.com forum shows an especially cute owl made with big felt eyes. Cut two big circles out of medium-brown felt, slightly smaller circles out of white felt, and much small circles out of darker-brown felt. Glue the white circles in the middle of the medium-brown circles. Then glue the small circles on the inner edges of the white circles, to give the owl a cross-eyed look. Glue the three-layered eyes onto the pine cone.  

You can also add on feathers and little pine-cone pieces for ears. To make a larger owl, glue two pine cones together so that one will be the head and the other the body.

* Pine cone bird feeder

Ehow suggests a bird feeder made out of a pine cone, peanut butter, margarine, and bird seed.  Start by securing a long string at one end of the pine cone by weaving it around the spiky bits. Mix the peanut butter and the margarine together, and spread the mixture over the pine cone with a knife. Spread birdseed on a piece of newspaper, and roll the pine cone in the seeds.  

Put the seed-encrusted pine cone in the freezer for an hour to help the birdseed stick. The feeder will then ready to use. Hang it from a tree branch or porch railing by the string.  

Children (and adults!) will feel a nice glow of accomplishment when they complete these pine cone crafts projects. The house or yard will start to look like Thanksgiving. Such an easy and inexpensive way to get into the holiday mood!

Sources:

About.com: Pine Cone Hints 

Enchanted Learning: Pine Cone Turkey Craft

Crafster.org forum: Pine Cone Owl: An Ode to My Grandmother  

eHow: How to Create a Birdseed Bell with Pinecones

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