5 Thanksgiving Garland Ideas

Paper Thanksgiving Craft: Decorate with Garland

Decorate your dining room for Thanksgiving with cute fall garland you make together as a family. Use these ideas for paper garland decorations or let each family member design their own. Some fun Thanksgiving garland ideas include fall leaves, owls, turkeys, pumpkins or squash, pilgrim hats, tepees, or cornucopias. Enjoy!

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Thanksgiving Garland Ideas.

4 Holiday Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

4 Cardboard Tube Crafts for the Holidays

Whether you use a paper towel roll, wrapping paper roll, or toilet tube, these cute cardboard tube crafts for the holidays are easy to make. We made 4 fun holiday toilet paper roll crafts with bits and bobbles from cardboard rolls. Scroll down to see our Thanksgiving Turkey, Christmas Reindeer, Snowman, and Little Puppy. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links.

Cute Cardboard Tube Crafts.

1. Toilet Paper Roll Turkey

We used cardbboard paper towel rolls and toilet paper tubes to make these little creatures. They are skinnier than most, because we cut a 1" strip out of each roll and then hot glued the cardboard back together. Each holiday creature is cut at a different height, so they can be displayed in an attractive centerpiece for the holidays.

Toilet Paper Roll Crafts Thanksgiving Turkey.

Cardboard Tube Valentine Treat Creature

If you want to make Cardboard Tube Crafts for Thanksgiving, purchase some felt leaves. We found a Thanksgiving garland kit on clearance and used the pieces to make turkey feathers. An autumn pack of pipecleaners. pom poms, and felt bits were used for his beak and head.

To attach the head, it is best to use hot glue. Place a bead of glue around the top of the cardboard tube and then press and hold the pom pom down until the glue sets.

If you want to paint your tube, do that before you begin decorating it. We like the natural look of of the cardboard roll.

2. Cardboard Tube Puppy

Cut a 2" section of cardboard roll to make a little puppy.

Make Cardboard Tube Crafts for Holidays

Mini Cardboard Tube Creatures.

Make Cardboard Toilet Roll Christmas Tree Decorations

3. Cardboard Paper towel Roll Snowman Craft

Use a vegetable skewer to make hands
for your cardboard toilet roll snowman.

Fun Snowman Craft

Twist two pipecleaners together to make a scarf for your snowman.
We glued two cottonballs together to make  his head.

4. Reindeer Toilet Roll Craft

Wrap pipecleaners around your finger or a pencil
to make spiral antlers for the cardboard reindeer.

More Cardboard Roll Crafts for Thanksgiving

Mayhem designed her own Easy Cardboard Toilet Tube Turkeys.

Cut 1/4" strips approximately 3" down the toilet paper roll to make the turkey feathers. Then, bend 1 strip down folding the end up to attach the turkey's head. Cut two orange strips and glue inside the tube to form legs. Now, you have a shelf sitter turkey for Thanksgiving.

Share your ideas with us in the comments.


Recommended:


Paint with Cardboard Tubes

The Night Before Thanksgiving

Holiday Salt Dough Ornaments

Make an Envelope Barn and Toilet Roll Silo

Felt Leaves

Cardboard Toilet Tube Rocket for New Years

What She's Wearing Mayhem Fashion: Things to do with a Paper Bag: Native American Indian Dress Tutorial

How to Make an Indian Costume from a Paper Bag

Paper Bag Indian Costume.

She's wearing a paper grocery bag. We turned it into a Native American Indian Dress, an easy costume for kids.


Hiding somewhere in my garage is a bag with a Pocahontas dress (I hope) or maybe some kid walked away wearing it one day. At any rate, I was short one little Indian costume for our "movie." What's a crazed mom to do? I've made a ton of those Indian Vests and Hula Skirts in after-school programs, so I decided a dress couldn't be too difficult. Right? I guess it depends on  your standards and mine are low.

Native American Shirt from Paper bag.

First, take a paper bag- and good luck finding one. Talk about a tangent. Why, in this day of recycling are plastic bags everywhere, but no one has paper any more? Remember when the sacker used to ask paper or plastic? Now it's plastic or bring your own.

Once you've found the bag, turn it inside out and crumple it into a big paper wad. The more crumples the more it looks like leather. Next, unfold it and pop it open on the table, laying it on the side. Now, cut the sides all the way to the bottom of the bag. The center fold of each "arm" makes a perfect sleeve. Cut fringe about 3" at the end of each sleeve.

Native American Indian Dress.

At the bag's opening or the bottom of the shirt, cut out triangles/zigzags for a decorative edge. At the bag's base or the shirt's top, cut out a "u" or "v" for the neck. Decorate the shirt with Native American symbols. When done, insert kid and tape sleeves at wrists.

Paper bag fringe Indian Skirt.

For the dress skirt, turn bag inside out, wad and crumple, cut the bottom rectangle out, and cut down one seam. Now, cut fringe like a Hula Skirt. Wrap to fit and tape or staple.

We've also made these by punching holes in the waist and weaving yarn through to form a belt which can be tied for a perfect fit. If you want to get fancy, take another bag and cut the panels and then attach inside the sides of the shirt for full coverage.

Native American Indian Dress from Paper Bag.

This was good enough for our day of pretend play. Afterward, Mayhem gathered rocks and twigs to make a fire.


Recommended Reading:

Things to do with a Paper Bag

Sacajawea History Lesson

Native American History for Kids: With 21 Activities *

















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How to Make a Homemade Pretzel Thanksgiving Cornucopia

Make an Edible Cornucopia for Thanksgiving

We had a fun with a pretzel recipe.You can make a pretzel at home and turn it into a Thanksgiving cornucopia. Enjoy!

Edible Thanksgiving Cornucopia Recipe.

We followed this Betty Crocker recipe.

Pounding the dough was a big hit. (Pun intended.)

A little more labor intensive than I thought, but so worth it.
In the past, we made easy pretzels with canned dough- Fun to make and tasted o.k. but this recipe tastes like we bought them at the store.

We made the cornucopia by wrapping strips of the processed dough around a greased cake funnel.

We tried sugar and salt variations for the coating.

You can make pretzels with the same recipe.

Amazyum!

A great companion children's book for this activity is:

"One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims"

Thanksgiving book for kids.

This is a fun twist on "Ten Little Indians".  

Kids love to sing "One Big Turkey".

Recommended Reading:

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks (Reading Railroad)

Peanut Butter Ball Turkey Recipe

Activities for Children: How to Make a Straw free Scarecrow with Recycled Items

How to make your own Kid Scarecrow without Straw

When we visit a local farm, there are lots of activities for children including an area set aside to make your own scarecrow. It is very messy and smelly! We all sneeze. Wouldn't it be cool to have a scarecrow without straw?

Activities for Children: Mini Scarecrow for Indoors.

So, a few years ago, I decided to design my own allergy-friendly scarecrow activity for kids. We used paper and recycled bags!

Tired old allergy free scarecrow.

How to Make an Allergy-Free Scarecrow

Old kid's clothes (short sleeves work too).
Paper lunch sacks or plastic pumpkins
Plastic grocery bags
Raffia, yarn, staples, or duct tape to attach the parts.

Grab your kid's old , torn clothes. Stuff the pants with plastic grocery bags. (Tie them in knots or blow them up like balloons for extra padding.) Stuff your shirt.Ties the feet and arms off with string or tape with duct tape. Stuff shirt into waist of pants. Duct tape works best here. Attach it to look like a belt. Cut arms or hands from paper bags as needed. Staple to end of shirt. Make feet too. Stuff a paper lunch sack with plastic bags, tie it off, and attach to the shirt. You can use a plastic pumpkin for the head too- not as easy to attach. Throw on a straw hat or cut out strips of the lunch bag and staple on for hair.

Recommended Reading:

Companion books for this children's activity are:

The Big, Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown *ad

Thanksgiving Activities: Turkey Game and Craft for Children

Family Friendly Games for Thanksgiving

You've heard of Reindeer Games, so why not, Turkey games? This is an easy, fun activity for Thanksgiving get togethers. 

Family friendly crafts and games for Thanksgiving day party feasts.

Mayhem loved playing this turkey game.

Here are a few ideas to brighten up your Thanksgiving Family Feast:

• While you're preparing Thanksgiving Dinner, have your kids make turkeys out of paper plates and construction paper.

• They can create it anyway they choose or follow these instructions:

Cut two - 3" slits 2" apart in the bottom of the plate.

Lift and fold this flap out and fold it into a triangle or tent shape.

This is the turkey's head.

Turkey tutorial.

Add googly eyes or draw your own. 

Don't forget to draw his gobbler :-)

 
Cut feathers from colored construction paper.  Using a glue stick connect them to the top of your plate, or draw them directly onto the plate with brightly colored markers. You can go all out and use real feathers from a craft store too, it's all good. Or trace your foot onto paper for extra fun and a SENSORY ELEMENT. Now poke a 1/4'" hole in the center of your turkey (the plate).  Get yarn, kite string, Christmas ribbon, etc... remember, it's all good. 

My kids tried it with a shoe string. Cut the string about 6' in length. (Shorter or Longer depending on your spatial restrictions.)  Thread the string thru the hole and knot it in the back of the plate. 

Do this twice - that's two turkeys... 

Set up two chairs and tie one turkey to each chair. Stretch the string taut and lie it flat on the ground with the turkey opposite the chair. This is the starting line, divide into two teams and start the turkey races with kids standing at the opposite end of the chairs.

"Ready, Set, Fly!"

On the signal kids begin gobbling and lifting the string in the air trying to get the turkeys to fly to the chairs. (You are essentially shaking the plate down the string.) If your turkeys refuse to "fly" have the kids race by pulling their turkeys down the line as fast as they can while someone else holds the opposite end taut.

Last kid to reach the chair is a Turkey!

The latter methods works best with smaller children.

HAVE FUN and remember, it is what it is, so make it fun and don't fret.

Post variations and; pictures of your turkeys in action.

We got this idea from an old 1970's  party book that used bats.  You can change anything to fit the theme. 

Recommended Reading:

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks (Reading Railroad)

Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids! 25 Fun & Educational Thanksgiving Activities for the Whole Family (Activity Books for Kids)

Holiday Games for Parties