Summers tend to be extra busy with lots of outdoor, warm weather activities. If you’ve taken the summer off of crafting, fall is the perfect time to kick your craftiness back into gear. Cooler weather and upcoming holidays gives us the perfect excuse to bring out our craft supplies and use that creative side of our brain again. This pinecone turkey craft, inspired by A Pumpkin and a Princess, is the perfect, simple craft to get your feet wet.
Turkeys tend to hang out in groups, and you don’t want yours to be a loner, so plan on creating a whole flock of these pinecone turkeys to add to your fall decor. This is the perfect craft for kids since all it involves is a bit cutting and gluing. Since you want all of your turkeys to have their own personality, lots of little hands doing the creating means no two will be the same. It’s good to be unique!
ALSO TRY: Pinecone owl craft
For truly unique turkeys, you can supply a variety of materials to use to make their tail feathers. Along with craft feathers, you can use feathers cut out from pieces of foam, pipe cleaners, painted popsicle sticks, craft leaves, or even little handprints. Orange, yellow and brown will be the ideal colors for traditional turkeys, but for turkeys with a little more personality, toss in some more vibrant colors and see what you and your little artists can come up with.
If you want these turkeys to hang around all through the fall months, plan a weekend to get together with family and friends to create these little guys and gals. Share the job of getting the needed supplies, set up a craft station and spend a fun afternoon visiting while you make your pinecone turkeys. Once complete, they can be placed on tables, shelves, windowsills – anywhere you would like your turkeys to roost.
How about a turkey for thanksgiving that is not on the menu? This is the perfect Thanksgiving day craft to keep your younger (and maybe some older!) guests busy and happy as they wait for the Thanksgiving feast to be ready. Set up an area away from the kitchen – think garage or backyard, if weather allows – with a table and all of the supplies. If you’re lucky enough to have teenagers in the family, they can (hopefully!) supervise the turkey making process. Or, an adult or two that don’t mind missing out on the meal prep. This gives little ones a fun activity to do that will distract them from repeatedly asking, “When will dinner be ready?”
If you have enough little crafters to create a turkey for each of your Thanksgiving day guests, these feathered friends could serve as placeholders at your Thanksgiving table. Each person could write a simple “I am thankful for…” message on a small foam or felt feather that could be placed in their own turkey and shared aloud before dinner begins. Each guest then has a reminder of your lovely day together and something to take home – other than a too full belly and leftovers.
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Gather supplies for Pinecone turkey craft
You’ll need enough pinecones, orange felt, feathers, eyes and glue for everyone!
Cut nose out of orange felt
Depending on how old the kids participating in the craft are, you might want to do this ahead of time.
Use hot-glue gun to glue nose and eyes on pinecone
For safety reasons, it’s recommended that you always inspect the hot glue gun for damage to the casing before use. If you’re crafting with kids, you may also want to consider getting protective or heat resistant gloves.
Secure eyes to Pinecone turkey craft
Make sure you choose the side that’s best to display the turkey’s face – usually the bottom is your best bet! Position the felt orange nose flatly and in the middle of the pinecone surface, then glue the eyes right above it. It looks best if the eyes are close together.
Glue feathers to pinecone
If you’re crafting with kids, use this as a learning moment and share some facts about turkeys and Thanksgiving with them! Here are a few:
Turkeys can run up to 20mph.
Each individual turkey has it’s own unique sound.
The wild turkey is a native bird of North America.
While we don’t know for sure what was eaten at the first Thanksgiving, historians found a letter from pilgrim Edward Winslow. In it, he mentions a turkey hunting trip before the festive meal.
Make sure feathers are spread in a fan
Go crazy! You can use as many feathers as you want.
The cutest Pinecone turkey craft ever!
This is a great way to spend time with loved ones and do something that will keep everyone entertained. Plus, it’s an affordable way to decorate the house for the holidays!
Materials:
- Pinecone
- craft feathers – orange, yellow and brown or maroon shades
- googly eyes
- orange felt
- glue gun
Instructions:
- Cut turkey nose out of orange felt
- Glue googly eyes to pinecone
- Glue orange felt triangle nose to pinecone
- Insert feathers into pinecone – can be glued to secure but not always necessary