Turkeys

November 8, 2016 by ndeningWP

TURKEY CRAFT PROJECTS

Paper Bag Turkeys
Stuff a brown lunch bag with paper until about half full. Twist and tie the bag closed with yarn. Cut strips from the edge of the bag down to the yarn. The strips will be tail feathers. Attach a precut head to the other end of the bag. Add wiggly eyes and beak. Paint the tail feathers vibrant colors.

Handprint Turkeys
Paint fingers and palms brown and press onto paper. Add turkey facial features and legs.

Turkey Headbands
Cut a 1-2 inch strip of brown construction paper to fit child’s head. Staple or tape closed. Add precut colorful strips of construction paper for feathers or attach real feathers with tape. Wear the turkey headband while reciting the fingerplays and singing turkey songs.

Turkey Feather Painting
Dip feathers in craft paint and paint on paper.

Apple (Potato) Turkey
Stick miniature marshmallows, gumdrops, or fruit chews on toothpicks. Stick the toothpicks in the apple for tail feathers. Attach to the opposite side of the apple, with tape or a toothpick, a precut paper turkey head.

TURKEY ACTIVITIES:
Play Dough Turkeys
Make play dough turkeys with turkey cookie cutters.

PLAY DOUGH
Combine in a pan:
1 cup flour,
½ cup salt,
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil,
1 cup water,
Food coloring
Mix ingredients well. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until mixture pulls from sides of pan and forms a soft lumpy ball. Knead, play, enjoy, and when cooled, store in an airtight container.

Feed the Turkey
Attach a picture of a turkey to the side of a box or basket. Feed the turkey by throwing “sock balls” (rolled socks) into the turkey.

Count the turkeys
Attach stickers of turkeys to strips of card stock or construction paper. One sticker on the first strip, two on the second, three stickers on the third, and so forth. Write the number on the back of the card. Count the turkeys. Place the cards in sequence.

Pin the Feather on the Turkey
Attach a picture of a featherless turkey to the wall. Children will close (cover) their eyes and “pin” their paper or real feather on the turkey.

FAVORITE TURKEY BOOKS
Turkey Trouble- Wendi Silvano
10 Fat Turkeys – Tony Johnson
Over the River: a turkey’s tale – Derek Anderson
A Plump and Perky Turkey – Teresa Bateman
A Turkey for Thanksgiving – Eve Bunting
Run, Turkey Run – Diane Mayr
Sometimes It’s Turkey, Sometimes It’s Feathers – Lorna Balian
‘Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving – Dav Pilkey
One Tough Turkey: A Thanksgiving Story – Steven Kroll
Farmer Goff And His Turkey Sam – Brian Schatell
5 Silly Turkeys (board book) – Salina Yoon

FAVORITE SONGS
Five Fat Turkeys are We-e-e
Five Fat Turkeys are We-e-e (hold up 5 fingers)
We slept all night in a tr-e-e (with hands together, rest on side of head, as sleeping)
When the cook came around we couldn’t be found (hand cupped above eye, searching)
And that’s why we’re here you se-e-e (bent arms at elbow, palms up)

We Eat Turkey (Tune: Are You Sleeping)
We eat turkey, we eat turkey.
Oh, so good, Oh, so good.
Always on Thanksgiving, always on Thanksgiving.
Yum,yum, yum. Yum, yum, yum.

Verse 2: We eat green beans. We eat green beans.
Oh, so good, Oh, so good.
Always on Thanksgiving, always on Thanksgiving.
Yum, yum, yum. Yum, yum, yum.

Addition verses: Add desired food: mashed potatoes, buttered rolls, pumpkin pie

Turkey Pokey (Tune: Hokey Pokey-Sing using turkey body parts)
Put your left wing in, put your left wing out
Put your left right in and shake it all about
You do the turkey pokey and turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about. (clap)

Other verses: strong beak, right foot, tail feathers, whole self

FAVORITE FINGERPLAYS
The Turkey
The turkey is a funny bird. (Hook thumbs together and spread fingers).
Its head goes wobble, wobble. (Wobble head back and forth.)
And all it knows is just one word: (Hold up one finger.)
“Gobble, gobble, gobble.” (Make mouth shape with hand, opening and closing it.)

Gobble, Gobble
Gobble, Gobble is the sound (Place hands by mouth for sound)
Of the turkey fat and round, (Move arms in a wide circle around self)
Thanksgiving Day will soon be here
Then he will dis-a-ppear (Bend arms at elbows, extend hand, palms up.)

See more Thanksgiving activities: http://hkdening.com/thanksgiving-activities/

Owl Activities

October 31, 2016November 8, 2016 by ndeningWP

Owl Activities:
For additional activities on my Pinterest page

Games:
Stick the Beak on the Owl-
Draw an owl shape on a large piece of paper. Attach the owl picture to the wall. Give each child a triangular shaped beak cut from paper, craft foam, or felt. Add a rolled piece of tape to the back of beak. One at a time, a blindfolded child will attach the beak to the owl. Without looking, see who can attach the owl’s beak nearest to the place where it belongs.

Variations: attach an oval wing or large circle eye.

Matching Owl Game-
This is a matching lotto game. Child will have a game board and 12 playing pieces such as coins or marshmallows. To make the game board, draw 12 even spaced squares on an 8”x 11” sheet of paper and place an owl picture or sticker in each square. Place an identical owl on an index card. Select a card and hold it for the child to see. Child will cover the matching owl on the game board with a playing piece (coin, marshmallow). Play until the owls on the board are covered.

Crafts:
Painting with Feathers
Provide each child with a construction paper owl shape. Use a single feather or tape feathers together to make a brush. Dip the feather in a small dish of paint and paint the owl paper with the feather brush.

Owl Needs Feathers
Glue (owl) feathers onto a construction paper or paper plate shaped owl. Create a color game by using colored construction paper feathers to glue on the owl.
Variations: Color game: Place red feathers on the red owl, blue feathers on the blue owl.

Paper Bag Owls

Counting Feathers
Owl Matching Cards- match the pairs of owl stickers

First Time Story Time

September 15, 2016November 8, 2016 by ndeningWP

A new school year.
A new story time.
A new group of children.

Not knowing the ages, interests, or attention span of the children, it was difficult for me to select books for story time. So I decided to open with a favorite, Eric Carle’s, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Some children may have recognized the book from the library; some may have a copy at home or at their grandparent’s home.

It’s comforting to share a familiar, favorite book when the children may be feeling uncomfortable, timid, or apprehensive. This time, the children would help me with the story. I brought a bowl of toy food—all the foods found in story, a caterpillar puppet, a large leaf (mine was cloth), a lunch bag cocoon, and a homemade butterfly.

While I shared the story, the children fed the caterpillar, with munching, crunching, lip-smacking sounds until the caterpillar was no longer hungry and no longer tiny. It curled up in the paper bag cocoon and slept. Finally, the caterpillar “chewed” a hole in the side of the cocoon. And you know what emerged.
No longer tiny, no longer hungry, and no longer a caterpillar.

Inviting the children to participate in the story captured their attentions and hearts, setting the stage for other books I planned to read.

Are you reading to a new group of children? Consider starting with a favorite and bring your props.

Happy reading!
Helen