In the fall, there are many celebrations around the world where families share time together over a meal. The most famous examples are the American and Canadian Thanksgiving celebrations. The gourmet dishes and delicacies, such as pecan pie or stuffed turkey, are the stuff of dreams, but the true spirit of Thanksgiving is not about the football game on TV or the colorful parades.
It's about getting together with the people you love the most to share the moments that made you happiest this year! Although most of France does not celebrate Thanksgiving, expressing our gratitude is an international and multicultural experience.
In order to encourage children to manually express what they are most thankful for this year alongside their Mômji nanny, we have prepared a seasonal activity with an emblematic Thanksgiving animal: the turkey!
By creating your own turkey with the handprints of the kids and the whole family, you can write your gratitude this year on its colorful feathers. Then hang it on the fridge or in the kids' room and use it as an opportunity to continue your discussion together about traditions in other countries or the best moments of their year!
You will need:
- cardboard for the turkey's body
- colored paper in fall colors (red, yellow, orange, brown...) or plain white that you can color yourself to personalize your creations
- googly eyes for the turkey's eyes (you can also draw them on white paper)
- some glue
- magnets or tape to display it for the whole family
The steps to follow
1) First, cut out the body parts of the turkey from cardboard. For the body of the animal, simply draw a circle with two small circles separated at the bottom of the main circle. You can choose cardboard to make the body of the turkey so that it is sturdy and color it in the colors of your choice.
2) The wings are pointed ovals at the tips like the leaf of a tree and are facing down on either side of the turkey's body. To make them stand out, use a different color than the turkey's body!
3) Using orange paper, cut out the feet in a thick line that splits into 3 to represent the toes.
4) For the head of the turkey, draw a circle without completing it, then extend it at the base into a trapezoid, the same color as the wings. You can now add the orange beak and the googly eyes.
5) After cutting out the different parts of the turkey's body, all you have to do is assemble them! Take your glue and paste the head to the top of the body, opposite the little circles. The wings go on either side of the turkey's body. The feet will be placed in the center of one of the small circles at the bottom of your turkey's body!
6) On your sheets of colored paper, trace your handprint to create the turkey's feathers. Get the whole family involved so you have feathers of all sizes!
7) Now you can come and write on each finger what you are most thankful for this year! Friends, family and favorite toys come to decorate your turkey and turn this craft into a life time activity to share with the whole family!
Bonus step: you can use this opportunity to talk about the history of Thanksgiving in the United States by adding a pilgrim hat to your turkey!
Happy Thanksgiving !
