Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to slow down with family and friends, and sip some hot chocolates or pumpkin spice lattes! I thought these little turkey stir sticks would be a nice festive touch for the holiday, and kids can use them as little puppets when they’re done stirring their hot cocoas. It doesn’t take long at all to craft the little guys, and they look adorable at the kids’ table, served with some kiddie cocktails. Older children might enjoy assembling the turkeys while they’re waiting for Thanksgiving dinner.

If you have a spare hour or two before the long weekend, this is the perfect, simple craft to add to your décor. You can play with the color palette, and go with more traditional colors, or let each child use their favorites for an extra-vibrant tablescape!

• 3/4” wooden bead with 1/8” hole
• 1/2” wooden ball
• 1/8” x 5 1/2” dowel
• Colorful feathers
• Scissors
• Wood glue
• Tacky glue
• Toothpicks
• Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint
• Sponge brush

Step 1
Paint your wooden bead and ball in “honeycomb” using a sponge brush, and allow to dry.

Step 2
Put a dab of glue on the end of a dowel, and put the dowel halfway through the hole in the wooden bead.

Step 3
Cut a “bouquet” of feathers down to make the longest feather about 1 ½-1 ¾” long. Put a dab of tacky glue in the hole on top of the bead, and arrange the feather ends in the hole. Fan out the “turkey tail”, and comb through the feathers with your fingers to get rid of any loose pieces.

Step 4
Place a small dot of glue on the wooden ball, and glue it to the bead, right in front of the feather tail.

Step 5
Use toothpicks to paint two small white eyes, with a black dot at the bottom. Paint an orange triangular beak, and a small red snood (basically a teardrop shape) coming off the side of the beak. Allow to dry.

Aren’t they the cutest? Once kids are done their drinks, they can even clean off the sticks and use these little turkeys to put on a Thanksgiving puppet show!

Happy crafting and Happy Thanksgiving!