by Tammy of Musings of a Working Mom
Nearly every year, my mother-in-law hosts Thanksgiving dinner, so the girls and I decided to make her some new and personal décor this year: Turkey handprints!
Supplies:
- Bumkins Splat Mat
- Bumkins Junior Bib or Art Smock
- Wood* or paper surface
- Washable, non-toxic paint in five colors (we used brown for the turkey, and blue, green, purple and pink for feathers)
- Craft feathers
- Googly eyes
- Small pom poms
- Glue
*Side note: I grew up in a small, mountain town and spent many weekends in my childhood hauling and splitting firewood. It was very strange to me to walk into a craft store and buy a wooden round wrapped in plastic. I should bring some back next time I’m home!
Step 1: For the handprints, I did one kid at a time to avoid paint all over the house. I painted the thumb and palm brown, and then each finger a different color. Once they place their hand down on the wood, you’ll want to press each finger and palm down gently to make sure enough paint transfers. (Then carry them straight to the sink to wash the paint off.)
Step 2: After the paint dries, I put out the googly eyes, pom poms and feathers to complete the turkeys. I put the glue, and the girls selected and added the embellishments. (Older kids can also do the glue themselves – but I did it for both of them because I knew if I let big sis do her own, little sis would want to as well.)
And that’s it! Easy peasy! You can also paint on feet, or add the kids’ names and the year (which I did after everything else dried).