Tom Turkey Toddler Craft (recycled materials)

The best ideas sometimes come from nothing.  Like the empty toilet paper roll my son refused to stop playing with...so I decided to turn it into a craft.  Made things up as I went, but it turned out adorable, so I thought I'd post it!

Finished Product

Basic structure supplies

1.  Collect supplies:  an empty toilet paper roll, a paper plate (cut off just below half way), cardboard corners for feet and beak (I used the 'protective corners' off a picture frame I had just purchased - worked perfectly!), paint (brown, red, orange, yellow), a red puff ball and few pieces of red yarn, a brown puff ball for the top of the head, google eyes and feathers (if you happen to have them on hand).

Painting the Body Brown.

2.  Paint.  The toilet paper roll turns brown, the feet and beak orange.  Do one color at a time!  

Painting the feather fan (paper plate)

3.  Paint the paper plate.  We used 3 colors, working from dark to light:  red then orange then yellow.  We let each coat dry in between (play time!!).

Modge Podge 

4.  After all paint has dried.  Apply modge podge to all (this is a step for Mommy or Daddy - probably not your toddler...!).  I used glossy but you could use whatever you have on hand.  Let this dry over night.

Assemble

5.  Assemble as shown.  I used a pipe cleaner to attach the body to the feathers, as well as tacky glue.  Once all the glue has tried, glue feathers on the back (not the front - don't want to cover up all that awesome painting!  My little guy had a ton of fun with the glue and feathers.  Made a huge mess, but had a ton of fun.  Ha!

Waddle 1

Waddle 2

6.  To make the waddle, I just put some glue on a small red puff ball and wrapped 3 pieces of red yarn around it.  I used a forth piece of red yarn to tie around the others keeping them tight around the ball.  Once the glue dried, I glued it up under the beak and tucked the ends up underneath.  

7.  Lastly - once all glue is dried.  Pop on those google eyes and - you're done!  Tom Turkey is ready to grace your Thanksgiving Table.  Happy Turkey Day!

Finished Product - Happy Thanksgiving!!

Ideas for filling Advent Calendars

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a holiday junkie.  And now that I finally  have a little one to share it with, I'm oozing Christmas spirit -- already.  

Well, about a year ago I started making Aaron an advent calendar with small pockets for every day leading up to Christmas.  It took me a full year to finish it (well, I took a few months off when moving cross country), but it's finally done and I have turned my mind to figuring out how to fill those pockets before December 1.  There are some obvious things, but I also like the idea of doing and giving rather than just receiving, so I wanted more than just candy and cheap gifts that will break in 10 minutes (or less).  So, I've dug around online and found lots of good ideas so I compiled them, along with my own thoughts and here's a list of ideas.  There are, of course, tons of other things that could be done.  These are just a few of my favorites to get your imaginations going.  Obviously some of them are for older kids, but it's still fun to think ahead.  Have fun!  (And if YOU have any other ideas, please add comments!  This is a list that can keep growing!)

THINGS TO DO (put a slip of paper or a hint in the calendar)

• Go shopping and have the child choose something the like to purchase and to give to charity.
• Make holiday cards to give to nursing homes or children’s wards of hospitals or send to soldiers abroad or veterans.
• Have child help to collect gently used toys and clothes to give to charity.
• Make/give out secret gifts to neighbors.  Don’t put a tag on it - just leave it on the doorstep.
• Watch a Holiday Video and follow up with an activity or craft/coloring page.
• Make homemade cookies and decorate.
• Make homemade ornaments for your tree and to give out to others (or both).
• Go to a local holiday light display.
• Attend a special event (The Nutcracker, a puppet show, etc)
• Visit Santa (see if you can find somewhere besides a mall to avoid the ‘gimme gimmes).
• Study how other cultures celebrate Christmas (or different time periods).
• Wrap Christmas Presents for other family members.
• Have a candlelit dinner where everyone helps cook. Special treat like sparkling cider.
• Have hot cocoa for breakfast!
• Put together a package of treats for soldiers overseas.
• Make a gingerbread house.
• Write a letter to Santa and send it.
• Coloring sheets (make your own??)
•  ‘coupons’ for other things (a trip ice skating, an amusement park, etc.)
•   indoor picnic by the Christmas tree
•  drive around town and look at Christmas lights
• make pinecone bird feeder
•   make a bookmark and read a book (matching)
•  a silly holiday joke!
• Ask a question which they have to think about during the day and answer at the end, with reasons why (dinner is a good time to answer these, especially with multiple kids).  Suggestions:  What is your favorite ornament on our tree and why?  What are 3 things you like best about your brother/sister?  Make up a story that you think feels like a new ‘holiday’ story.
• Put in a miscellaneous item and they have to make up a holiday-story based on that item.
• ‘badges’ that they are to award to other people throughout the day/week
• Sing Christmas Carols
• Give a holiday joke and see if they can come up with an answer.  Or give several!
• title of a Christmas book to read (new or a favorite from years past)
•  Do a craft: A quick Google Search will bring up hundreds of ideas, or check out Oriental Trading (catalog or online) – they have cheap crafts which you can also easily re-create for yourself – have fun and be creative!   A few ideas:  paper chain, paper snowflakes to cover a wall or window, a bookmark for favorite holiday book, a bird feeder, make your own wrapping paper, make hand-print mittens every year to show how child has grown…..  There are so many possibilities here, it’s endless. 

GIFTS TO GIVE (small gifts just for fun):

•       Chrismas Socks
•       Candy, of course
•       Cookie Cutter
•       Cards for games (old maid, go fish, etc)
•       Erasers 
•       Action figures/small dolls/finger puppets
•       Matchbox cars 
•       Jewelry / small lip gloss or other cosmetic
•       Art supplies (crayons, play dough, chalk)
•       Stickers  
•       Bath toys or bath crayons
•       An ornament for their own tree
•       Erasers, fake tattoos, etc
•       Hit the $1 aisle at Target or Michaels or the Dollar store
•      A ‘note’ from an elf or Mrs. Claus
•       Coupons (they can cash in for something – a movie, or something special, some other time during the year – maybe include a ‘price cap’ though.)

LONG TERM IDEAS (mostly for older kids): 

• a treasure map with clues to a big gift at the end of the week/month
• parts of a big craft (pieces of a gingerbread house, legos for a big lego set, etc), 
• lego word game (glue a word to each lego and give in order, so they can figure out the sentence – which leads to a big prize)
• Learn how a different culture celebrates the Winter Holiday.  Pick a new culture every day or every other day.  Read stories, make a craft and eat ‘traditional’ food.

DATE SPECIFIC CELEBRATIONS There are many more, including some really strange ones (look online) - I'm just listing a few.  These dates could lend to learning AND fun - read books or do crafts or project which relate to that specific celebration and maybe even cook a meal which relates.  

• DECEMBER 4:  NATIONAL COOKIE DAY.  That one's a no-brainer.
• DECEMBER 5:  INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY
• DECEMBER 6 – ST. NICHOLAS DAY: Read about the celebration beforehand (there are several, including The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving), then bring the story to life by filling some (paper) wooden shoes with small goodies and handing them out to friends.
• DECEMBER 8:  BODHI DAY (The day Buddha experienced enlightenment)
• DECEMBER 9:  WORLDWIDE CANDLE LIGHTING DAY:  This day celebrates children (or others) who have passed by lighting a candle.  A great time for a candle=lit dinner, talking about those who have passed and perhaps telling fun/happy stories about the departed.
• DECEMBER HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
• DECEMBER 13:  SAINT LUCIA DAY (Sweden, Norway, Denmark)
• DECEMBER 16:  NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED ANYTHING DAY.  Another no-brainer.
• DECEMBER 20-22:  YULE / WINTER SOLSTICE.  The Shortest Day:  Celebrating the Winter Solstice)
• VARIES:  HANUKKAH  (2012:  Dec 8-16, 2013:  Nov. 27 – Dec. 5, 2014:  Dec 16-24).  Book:  8 Winter Nights:  A Family Hanukkah Book
• DECEMBER 24: Make a list of love and appreciation. Sit down as a family tonight and spend some time talking about what you love and appreciate about every person. Be sure to have someone take notes, then give the notes to each family member – they could provide just the pick-me-up someone needs on a bad day.  Good idea for Christmas Eve – then the lists can be read Christmas morning.
• KWANZA STARTS DEC. 26 but could be introduced earlier.  Book:  Kwanzaa for Young People and Everyone Else
• BOXING DAY IS DEC. 26 (Australian, English, Irish, Canadian) - traditionally a day when servants (etc) would receive boxes of gifts from their superiors.

EMERGENCY CARD FOR BABY / TODDLER

As Hurricane Sandy bore down on us last week, I became worried about what would happen should we have to evacuate our home...and...more-so...what would happen if I was separated from my child!??!?  The news/emergency reports kept saying things like "ensure your child knows your phone numbers and names/phone numbers of out of town contacts."  But my son is not even 2 yet and he can't tell anyone any of those things - if someone found him, or I was unable to speak, how would he get to family?  

So I made him an emergency card and printed it out.  I created it like the template shown in the image and printed it, then folded it in half (so it was credit card sized) and used clear packing tape (in the absence of a laminator) to seal it.  

Then, I put one copy in the glove box of my car, one copy in my wallet and another one I attached to a mesh belt which would fit around my son's waist, should we have to evacuate.  (the belt I made using strapping like used on a backpack and a latch like you find on high chair straps - so it's flexible but he can't get it off himself).  

Luckily, I didn't need this.  But I'm glad I made them, and still have them ready, just in case.  

You can call me paranoid.  But I slept better that night.   

ps:  I went ahead and made identical ones for my husband and myself too. Why not?