A hand print turkey craft is nothing original for Thanksgiving but finding a unique way to fashion the feathers is always fun: nuts, dried beans, popcorn, feathers, tissue paper, wallpaper scraps, pasta...I've used them all. Now let's try this fun dotted mosaic handprint turkey! Don't forget to date the art work and laminate it if possible. Those little hands grow so quickly!

Materials

• brown construction paper
• another color of construction paper for the background
• kid-safe paint (black, orange, red, yellow)
• cotton swabs
• scissors

• glue
• wiggle eyes
• optional smocks are recommended
• ice cube tray (optional)

Instructions

1. Pour the colors into the cubes (red, green, brown, gold, white, green, orange, etc.). Supply a few cotton swabs for each color.

2. Cover the work surface with newspaper and the kids with smocks.

3. Create the turkey body by tracing your child's hand onto the brown paper.

4. Cut along the traced lines and glue the turkey onto another sheet of construction paper so that there is a background.

5. Make dots in different colors to create feathers. Begin with black dotted feet and then add dots along the fingers of the turkey handprint.

6. When the paint is dry add a wiggle eye, a paper beak, and wattle with glue.

Tips

• Using the ice cube tray for a paint tray will keep things a bit tidier and help prevent paint mixing.
• Encourage the children to practice making their dots on scrap pieces of paper first, gently dabbing the paint with the cotton swab, just up and down, not side to side.