Disguise A Turkey: A Thanksgiving Take-Home Project
This Thanksgiving project starts with a circle time read-aloud of Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. It's about a turkey who tries one disguise after another so he won't end up as Thanksgiving dinner. After the story, each child takes home a turkey outline to disguise. The ones that come back are always funny.
What You'll Need
A copy of Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano, a turkey outline printed on white paper (any simple turkey shape works), a manila folder for each child, and an instruction sheet that explains the project to families.
How to Set Up the Activity
Read Turkey Trouble together at circle time. Afterward, talk about the story. Ask what disguises the turkey tried, whether they worked, and what the children would do if they were the turkey.
Explain the take-home project: their job is to disguise their turkey so it doesn't get caught. They can use whatever they have at home, like drawings, collage, fabric scraps, googly eyes, stickers, or paint.
Send each child home with the turkey outline and the instruction sheet in a manila folder. Have them write their name on both the turkey and the folder so nothing gets mixed up.
Tell them to keep the folder closed. It's a secret until they bring it back.
When They Return
When the turkeys come back, set aside time for a reveal. Each child opens their folder and shows the class their disguised turkey. It's good language practice: ask them to tell what their turkey is pretending to be and why the disguise would work.
You'll get turkeys dressed as superheroes, pizza slices, flowers, dinosaurs, and everything in between. Put the finished turkeys on a bulletin board and leave them up through November.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is this project for?
It works for Pre-K through Grade 1. Younger children may need more help at home, but since it's open-ended, every child can do it at their own level.
What if a family doesn't have many materials at home?
Send home a small baggie of basic supplies (a few crayons, some stickers, a strip of colored paper) so every child has something to work with.
Can we do this in the classroom instead?
Yes. Set up a supply table with collage materials, markers, and craft scraps and let children make their turkeys at school. The take-home version gets families involved, but the classroom version works fine too.