Friday, November 5, 2010

Thanksgiving Placemats

Hand print turkeys are a must for Thanksgiving!  This year, I made the kids' hand print turkeys into placemats simply by covering them with clear contact paper.

First, I painted one hand so that the palm and thumb were brown and the four fingers were alternating red and yellow.  I helped C and R place their hands on the paper to create the hand prints.

Once they were dry, C and R added the details to the turkeys and then decorated the rest of the paper.  Once they were done, I covered them with the clear contact paper.

This is C's placemat (I love the turkey dinner in the lower left corner):

Here is R's placemat (pink paper, of course!):

I think hand print turkeys are the original hand print craft.  At least, it's the only one I remember actually making as a kid.
One of our favorite Thanksgiving books features hand print turkeys.  Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola-Lisa and Ken Wilson-Max is about a boy who uses paint, paper, sequins, toothpicks, and more to create beautiful turkeys.  He loves his creations and they begin to take on a life of their own.  When Foxy the fox comes around, the boy has to figure out how to keep his turkeys safe.  This is a really cute book for young kids and it is sure to inspire some hand print turkey creations!

9 comments:

An Almost Unschooling Mom said...

I just put that book on hold yesterday - I was so excited to find a hand print turkey story. You're right - hand print turkeys are a must at Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

Very cute placemats! We are going to make some handprint turkey place cards.

Debbie said...

I just love hand print art and they make the best turkeys!

Natalie PlanetSmarty said...

We read this book last year, and I really liked it. Anna, on the other hand, was very concerned with Foxy the Fox. I think I am going to get it again this year and see how she likes it now. The placemats look super cute - perhaps we should make some too!

Anonymous said...

So cute! That would make a good project to keep little ones occupied that morning too.

Ticia said...

I NEED to find that book. I remember you mentioning it last year, and had forgotten about it.

Elle Belles Bows said...

Love the placemats! If only, I could get Elle to dip her hand in paint!! Maybe one day! Kerri

Lynn said...

Love your idea of making them into placemats - so cute!

Christianne @ Little Page Turners said...

I think you're right - definitely the purest handprint craft there is. :)