he shorter days of autumn means more time indoors for your kids. Keep them active and happy, and their imaginations buzzing, with hands-on projects. A turkey puppet is a sure way to incite giggles. "Jack (4) totally liked this idea and thought it was a riot!" Lynda Hannan reports.

Here is what you'll need:

• 9-inch uncoated paper plate
• Orange, black and white construction paper
• Cardboard paper-towel tube
• Red pipe cleaner (chenille stems)
• Poster paints, crayons or markers
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Glue

Peggy LaClair, mother of three children, says, "I liked it that we had everything already on hand at home to make them."

Here is what you do:

• Cut two holes across from each other in the middle section of the paper
  plate; each one should be about 2[omega] inches in diameter or large enough for
  your child's hands to fit through to become the wings for the turkey.
• Color the back (not the eating side) of the paper plate with paints, crayons,
  or markers.
• Color or paint the cardboard tube.
• Staple one end of the tube closed. Fold the other end of the tube into
  a triangle to form the beak of the turkey. Staple the triangle to hold it
  in place. Fold about four inches of the triangle end of the tube forward to
  form the head of the turkey.
• Wrap the red pipe cleaner around your finger to form a spiral. This will
  be the turkey's wattle or snood (that red hanging thing on the neck). Slip
  the spiral off your finger, and staple one end of the spiral to the beak so
  that it sticks out and hangs down on one side.
• Cut a triangle-shaped beak from the orange paper. Glue the beak over the
  folded end of the tube and the end of the wattle.
• Cut the turkey's eyes from white paper and pupils from black paper. Glue
  a pupil to the center of each eye, and glue the eyes to the turkey's head
  above the beak.
• Glue the head of the turkey to the front of the plate between the two wing
  holes.
• Cut long legs for the turkey from the orange paper. Glue the tops of the
  legs to the back of the turkey so that they hang down from the bottom of the
  bird.

To make the turkey move its wings, put on a pair of stretchy gloves, put your hands through the two holes, and flap! Gobble, gobble, gobble! (That's turkey talk for "Happy Thanksgiving!")

Two families mentioned the addition of craft feathers to the turkey, but Jack's mom could not convince him that this was a great idea. "I suggested adding the leftover turkey feathers we have from the 'crafty gourd birds' project, but I just couldn't generate the buy of that idea. Maybe the feather fairy will have to visit tonight. I know, 'Get a life and let it go, Lynda.'"

TAKE IT FROM ME:
"We thought the turkeys would make a nice distraction at Thanksgiving for the younger nieces and nephews, so we may make up several to have a gobble-fest while everyone waits for the big meal."
--Beth W., mother of two boys, ages nine and eleven.

This article © 2001-2004 Studio One Networks.

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