Original URL: http://fun.familyeducation.com/thanksgiving/childrens-art-activities/35219.html

Pinecone Thanksgiving Turkey

by Jill Dvornik

Pick up some pinecones on your next nature walk, and turn them into an easy-to-make, festive turkey decoration for your Thanksgiving table.

Age: Preschool through elementary
Time: An hour or more
Type of activity: Arts-and-crafts

Materials:

• Pine cones
  
• Red, yellow, and orange construction paper
  
• Glue
  
• Styrofoam ball
  
• White and orange felt
  
• Red pipe cleaners
  
• Brown paint
  
• Paint brush

Directions:

1. Take a walk with your child and collect some large pinecones. This project works best with pinecones that can sit flat on a table.
2. To get rid of any insects, bake the pinecones for at least an hour at 150 degrees.
3. Draw and cut out 10 feather shapes from the colored construction paper.
4. At the large end of the pinecone, glue the feathers so they fan out from one side to the other.
5. Paint the styrofoam ball brown.
6. When the paint is dry, glue the ball to the small, pointy end of the pinecone. This will be the turkey's head. If you're having problems with the glue, lightly push the ball into the pinecone.
7. Cut out two eyes from the white felt and a triangle beak from the orange felt.
8. Glue the eyes and beak onto the turkey's head.
9. Cut a piece of red pipe cleaner in half and bend it to make the turkey's wattle.
10. Stick the wattle into the bottom of the turkey's head.

Your pinecone turkey is ready to decorate the dinner table!