November Family Craft: Countdown Turkey

In the first few days of November, we make our countdown turkey. He's a fun reminder of how many days we have left until the feast.

Age: 3 and up to glue, 5 and up to cut, any age to enjoy.

Supplies
construction paper (yellow, red, brown, orange)
gluestick
scissors
paper grocery bags
marker
tape

Instructions
* Cut a large teardrop shape and a 1/4 sized circle shape out of the grocery sacks.

* Cut "feathers" out of the various construction papers (one for each day until Thanksgiving)

* Cut random embellishments and turkey parts out of the remaining construction paper (legs, feet, beak, eyes, etc) .

* Glue two feathers onto the front of your bird to signify wings.

* Glue the tailfeathers (remaining feathers) to the back side of the bird.

* Glue on all other peices as desired.

* Color in eyeball with marker.

* Hang close to the floor on a prominent wall with tape for family countdown fun.

Pull off a feather for each day that passes, "plucking" the bird for "cooking". On the last day, while the adults are cooking the meal, the kids take the turkey down, shred him into peices, and add him to the compost heap, "making food" for the next year's garden.

Our turkey faces sideways this year, but forward facing is great too, just fan the tailfeathers across the back, glue the head on straight, and add two eyes. For a girl turkey, draw on eyelashes. (Ladybug insisted on a comb and chose to make a ridge of feathers instead of a tail for our turkey, so we have dubbed him "Birdzilla")

It's a fun way to countdown and a great family craft. Keeping the kids out of the kitchen for a bit while they shred their turkey is an added bonus.

This project is also quick, fun, inexpensive, and easy!

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