2 mins read

How to Make Pinecone Turkeys

Instead of throwing away the pinecones you rake up in your yard, make Thanksgiving decorations with them. Pinecone turkeys are good as centerpieces, seating place cards or alone, scattered throughout the house. Older kids can do this project alone, but younger ones will need help from a parent and a strong craft glue instead of hot glue.

Step 1

Choose five feathers. Put one drop of glue on the flat side of the pinecone, near the edge.

Step 2

Place the quill end (the hard part) of a feather on the drop of glue. If you use hot glue, wait a few seconds for it to dry a little, then use your index finger to tap the feather into the glue.

Step 3

Put a drop of glue to the right of the first one and add a feather as you did in Step 2. Put a drop of glue to the left of the original drop and add a feather. Put a drop of glue beside each of the outer feathers you just added and stick on your last two feathers. The flat side of the pinecone should be half covered now. Let the glue dry.

Step 4

Wrap a yellow pipe cleaner around the center of the pinecone. Push it underneath the scales of the pinecone toward the center. Repeat this step with a brown pipe cleaner and a red pipe cleaner.

Step 5

On the bottom of the pinecone turkey, hold the ends of the pipe cleaners with one hand and give the pinecone a twist with the other hand.

Step 6

Pull the ends of the pipe cleaners apart below the first twist and twist three of the ends together to create a leg. Twist the other three ends together to create the other leg. Bend ¼ inch of each leg’s end upward, into an L shape, to make feet. Splay pipe cleaners on each foot so that it looks like the turkey has three toes.

Step 7

On a piece of brown construction paper, trace your thumb with a pencil and cut out the shape. Cut a small triangle out of yellow (or orange) construction paper and glue it to the end of the thumb shape, where your nail would be, for a beak. Cut a small heart shape from red construction paper and glue it underneath the beak for a wattle.

Step 8

Glue an eye to each side of the head. Fold ¼ inch of the neck and glue the fold to the pointed end of the pinecone to finish your Thanksgiving decoration.

Warnings

  • Supervise young children with scissors or hot glue.
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