Hand Crafts

Do you have what seems like hundreds of broken crayons laying around? Before you toss them in the garbage, enjoy a fun project with your kids! We’ve chosen fall colors—to help us color our fall coloring pages.--but you can choose any combination that you like.

What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Remove all the paper labels from crayon pieces. (Please check to make sure they are non-toxic crayons.)
3. Put ¼ teaspoon of vegetable oil into each muffin pan cup, no cup liners needed.
4. You will use the equivalent of 4 new crayons for each cup. Place broken crayons (no longer than an inch each) into the muffin pan. This will fill the cup about 1/3 full.
5. Place into the preheated oven and watch carefully, they melt quickly!
6. Bake crayons for 8 minutes or so.
7. When the crayons begin to melt, remove them from the oven and stir gently with a toothpick.
8. Crayon will look “ugly” and the colors may appear blended too much. Don’t worry! They look much better on the other side.
9. Let the crayons cool completely.
10. Once cooled, pop the crayons out of the muffin pan by tapping on the backside of the pan. Crayons should fall right out.

Tips:

• If you have any new crayons available, use one as a measuring stick. Lay broken crayon pieces along side of the new crayon to measure out 4 full sized crayons. This is how many you will need for each completed chunky crayon.
• Be sure to use extreme caution around kitchen utensils and the oven. Always use oven mitts and do not stick you fingers into the melted crayons.
• If you don’t have any broken crayon pieces, you can buy a large box of cheap crayons at the Dollar Store.

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This fall wreath craft project doubles as an outdoor activity for kids as they can collect materials just by taking a walk.

What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Bake all pieces for 45 minutes at 200 degrees to kill any insects and eggs.
2. Use the hot glue gun to attach the leaves, seeds, etc, to the wreath, and the large bow.
3. Attach the pinecones to ribbons and hang them in the center.

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This cute little pillow will look darling sitting on a shelf or desk; it even makes a great pincushion! Make one to celebrate autumn.

What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Using the pattern cut out 2 large circles from brown felt and the flower from gold felt. Cut out the center circle of the felt flower.
2. Glue one of the brown circles onto the center of the flower.
3. Turn the flower over and glue the other brown circle to the other side, leaving about an inch or so open for the filling.
4. Carefully stuff the center of the flower with cotton balls.
5. Glue open end of the circle shut.
6. Cut an oval from the red felt to make a ladybug.
7. Paint one end of the red felt with black paint to create the head. Use the handle end of the paintbrush to add dots to the ladybug’s back. Let paint dry.
8. Glue ladybug to the flower.
   

Tips:

• Hot glue can really hurt, so have a grown-up help you with those steps.
• When gluing the last part of the center circle closed, use a toothpick or craft stick to press the felt onto the glue so that you don’t burn your fingers.
• Keep plenty of different colored felts on hand for fun and quick projects!

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Get the kids involved with your Thanksgiving decorating by having them craft this stuffed turkey table decoration. It's an unusual way to make use of odd socks and mittens.

What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Let the child stuff the mitten using old socks, fabric, or felt scraps. Use a pencil to get the fabric up in the fingers of the mitten. These are the turkey's feathers.
2. Let the child stuff the sock until the stuffing reaches the heel. This is the turkey's head and body.
3. Push the end of the sock up inside the mitten.
4. Bend the stuffed end of the sock so it looks like a head is looking at you.
5. Spread tacky glue on the back side of the turkey body and then push against the palm of the mitten. (see picture)
6. Let the child cut out the beak and feet out of gold felt, and the wattle out of red.
7. Glue the beak, feet, wattle, and two eyes on the turkey.
8. Let dry.

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Get the whole family involved in carving and decorating this squash goose. It makes a great centerpiece for any Thanksgiving table and uses leaves and other things found in nature.

What you'll need:

How to make it:

Making Your Geese

Head

Wash any dirt off the squash and dry it with a paper towel. Ask an adult to help cut the stem of the squash at an angle to make it look like a beak.

Use an ice pick or awl to make small holes in each goose's "face." Insert a whole clove into each hole to make the eyes.

Body

Slice off the large, rounded end of the squash so that it will stand upright without tipping over.

Display

Make several geese to keep each other company.

Cover the cardboard with the waxed paper, use glue or tape to attach it.

Place your geese on the base, then surround them with fall leaves.

You're Done!

Tips:

Be sure to keep your geese on their base to protect your table, moisture from the squash can ruin wooden surfaces.

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Finally a Thanksgiving bird that doesn't require cooking, but rather, crafting—a turkey table decoration. These funny looking gobblers will bring a smile to kids and grown-ups alike and no stuffing is required.

What you'll need:

• Wooden heart
• 2 Wooden doll heads (flat bottoms), one a little smaller than the other
• 2 Wiggle eyes
• Yellow craft foam
• Red craft foam
• Brown craft paint
• Red craft paint
• Orange craft paint
• Paintbrush
• Tacky glue or hot glue gun
• Scissors

How to make it:

1. Paint the two doll heads brown.
2. Paint the heart red and add orange accents, if desired.
3. Allow to dry.
4. Glue the two doll heads together, one on top of the other, to form the turkey's body.
5. Glue the red heart behind the body of the turkey to form the feathers.
6. Glue the wiggle eyes to the front of the head.
7. Cut out the beak and gobbler from red and yellow craft foam.
8. Glue the beak and gobbler as shown in the picture.
9. Add a name card if you wish to use as a place setting on your table.

Tips:

You can make this turkey as small or as large as you would like. The turkey can be a place setting decoration or a larger table decoration.

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Bring the colors of nature into your home with this Thanksgiving Centerpiece craft for kids.

What you'll need:

• Striped green and yellow squash
• Yellow and green candles
• Apple corer
• Florists' adhesive clay, optional
• Dried leaves or vines, as desired

How to make it:

1. Break off the stalk from the gourds.
2. Use an apple corer to make a bigger indentation in the top for a candle.
   Note: If the gourd is too hard to do this, get some florists' adhesive clay and use that to hold the candle in the top.
   
3. Insert a candle.
4. Make a centerpiece with several candleholder gourds and some of the ones (with nice stalks) that you saved.
5. Scatter in some fall (dried) leaves or vines, whatever you can find. Use your imagination!

Tips:

Purchase small striped or colorful gourds. There are always lots available in the grocery stores at this time of year. Keep the ones with pretty stems to include without candles.

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These cute and festive place holders are perfect for Thanksgiving. Super easy to make, kids can put these together while dinner is in the oven. This craft provides a great way to get kids involved in the holiday festivities!

What you'll need:

• White construction paper
• Leaf shaped foam stamps
• Decorative leaf stickers
• Black Sharpie marker
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Acrylic paint (yellow, orange, red, brown, green)

How to make it:

1. Cut a piece of construction paper in half so that you end up with two pieces approximately 5 x 7 inches.
2. Fold both pieces in half again to create the place holders.
3. Use a black Sharpie marker to write your guests names on the place holders.
4. Decorate around the names with painted foam stamps or stickers.

Tips:

• Instead of just painting a solid color on your foam stamp, add dots or swipes of a contrasting color to the first color. Once stamped on the place holder, this creates a fun and decorative effect.
• If you have stamps that are too large to fit on the place holder, place your stamp so that it looks like it is falling off the edge. Simple overlap the stamp over the edge of the place holder, being certain you have newspaper underneath to catch the paint from the overlapping stamp.
• The scrapbooking aisle at your local craft store has a huge variety of shiny, decorative stickers to choose from. Stickers are wonderful for small children because they are very easy to manipulate.

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Add a light touch to your seasonal dinner table with this Thanksgiving votive candleholder craft. This is a fast, fun and easy holiday activity for kids.

What you'll need:

• Baby food jar
• Thanksgiving or Fall stickers
• White glue, like Elmer's
• Paintbrush
• Glitter, optional
• Raffia or ribbon

How to make it:

1. Apply the stickers around the jar. Press firmly all around the stickers.
2. Using a paintbrush, completely cover the jar sides from right below the jar threads to the bottom of the sides.
3. Sprinkle with glitter if desired. Let dry.
4. Tie raffia or ribbon around the jar threads.
5. Insert a votive candle and display as part of a Thanksgiving center piece.
6. Make one for each guest and use as a place setting. Your guests could take home the candle holders as a gift.
7. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Kids can turn a simple margarine tub into a festive Thanksgiving turkey bowl with this simple craft—perfect for holding treats your holiday guests are sure to gobble up.

What you'll need:

• Margarine tub
• Printed pattern
• Crayons, markers, paint, or colored pencils
• Scissors
• Thick craft glue
• Paperclips to hold drying parts
• Brown colored construction paper or burlap
• Craft foam, optional

How to make it:

Before you start

1. Find a place to work, and protect it with a large sheet of paper.
2. Gather all your materials.
3. Read all the directions, there will be choices to make that will affect which materials you need

Making Your Turkey Bowl

Step 1 - Print Patterns

Print out pattern. You might want to print it on tan paper to reduce the amount of coloring necessary. You'll need one head/wings pattern, and one feathers pattern. If possible, print the pattern on heavy paper.

Print a sample pattern first, to determine which size you'll need. If you need a size not provided, use the basic shapes as a guideline for making your own.

Small head/wings - small feathers

Medium head/wings - medium feathers

Step 2 - Cover the Margarine Tub

Glue construction paper, burlap, or ripped construction paper pieces (to look like feathers) to the outside of the margarine tub, covering it. Set it aside to dry and work on the next step.

Step 3 - Color or Make Construction Paper Pieces

Color the turkey pieces as you wish. Another option is to use the patterns shown as patterns for cutting out construction paper versions of the turkey from brown, tan, orange and yellow construction paper. Be creative in your color choices.

Only color one side of the paper on the head and feathers, as they will be glued together in Step 4.

Step 3 - Cut Out

Cut out all the shapes, if you colored them in, on the computer printout. If you're making them out of construction paper, they're already cut out.

Step 4 - Glue Head and Feathers Together

To make the pieces sturdier, glue the back of the head to the front of the head, and glue the feathers together in the same way, creating five feathers when you are done. Use a thin layer of glue, and set them aside to dry nice and flat.

Step 5 - Attach the Parts to the Tub

Glue the head to the front of the tub, and the wings onto the sides. You might need to use paperclips to help hold them in place until the glue dries. Glue the tail feathers to the back of the tub in a semi-circular shape.

You're Done!

Once the glue has dried, remove the paper clips, and enjoy your new bowl. It's a fun way to decorate the table and serve nuts or wrapped candies.

More Ideas

Construction paper feathers can be cut to make a feathery fringe instead of drawing on the lines. Cut the fringe after gluing the two feathers together into one.

The head, wings, and feathers can be made from thin craft foam instead of paper.

A small basket can be substituted for the margarine tub.

Use brown and orange calico fabric to cover the tub, and then make the pattern pieces with thin cardboard (like from a cereal box) and cover them with an assortment of calico fabrics for a country look.

Tips:

• Construction paper feathers can be cut to make a feathery fringe instead of drawing on the lines. Cut the fringe after gluing the two feathers together into one.
• The head, wings, and feathers can be made from thin craft foam instead of paper.
• A small basket can be substituted for the margarine tub.
• Use brown and orange calico fabric to cover the tub, and then make the pattern pieces with thin cardboard (like from a cereal box) and cover them with an assortment of calico fabrics for a country look. 
• If you don't have a margarine tub, you could also use a folded down small (lunch size) paper bag.

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