A turkey centerpiece made from a pinecone is a fun craft your kids will enjoy making and displaying. This Thanksgiving craft requires only a few easy to obtain items, some of which are found in nature! Here are two great pinecone turkey crafts to choose from.
Remember that gathering the supplies for this craft is half the fun! Take a stroll through your local park or nature trail with your kids to find pine cones, and enjoy the fall foliage and fresh air while you are out there. Look for the largest pinecones you can find, but gather up some small ones as well. If you’re planning to make the second type of pinecone turkey, search for the largest, most brightly colored leaves you can find.
Pinecone Turkey with a Feathered Tail
For this craft, you will need:
- One large pinecone
- Colored feathers, around two dozen
- Craft goggle eyes
- Construction paper or crafter’s foam in brown, red, yellow and orange
- Glue
Start by laying the pinecone on the table to be sure it won’t roll away. Next, take your feathers and fluff them up by running your fingers over them. Arrange a row of 5-6 feathers in a fan shape. Glue them one by one to the back of the pinecone. Make two more rows in the same manner to create a multi-layered tail for your turkey.
Next, create a face for your turkey with construction paper or crafter’s foam. Cut an oval shape of brown paper or foam, and two teardrop shapes out of orange and red. Glue your turkey’s eyes to the center of the brown oval, near the top. Then glue the two teardrop shapes, pointed end down, to the bottom of the brown oval to create the turkey’s beak and waddle. The yellow teardrop should be a little higher and more centered to create the beak, and the orange one a little lower, forming the waddle.
When this is done, attach your turkey’s face to the front of the pinecone. Finally, make feet for your turkey from yellow construction paper or foam cut into rounded triangle shapes, and glue them to the bottom of your pinecone.
Fall Leaf Pinecone Turkey
To make this craft, gather the following:
- Large fallen leaves in bright colors (press them for a few days for best results)
- One large pinecone
- One acorn or similar shaped nut in the shell
- Craft goggle eyes
- Construction paper
- Yellow paint
- Glue
To get started, follow step one above and lay the pinecone on the table to find where it is most stable. Create the tail by gluing your leaves stem down onto the back of the pine cone to form the tail. Place larger leaves towards the back and smaller ones towards the front.
Next, glue the eyes onto the acorn, and attach it to the front of the pinecone to create your turkey’s face. Cut a teardrop shape out of construction paper, and glue it beneath the acorn to create the waddle. Add a bit of yellow paint to the very tip of the acorn, giving your turkey a beak.
For added fun, use small pinecones and single leaves to make miniature turkeys for each place setting around the table. You can even use these small turkeys for place markers by slipping a small card with the person’s name into the pinecone.
With these easy Thanksgiving crafts, your holiday table will be both festive and fun!
