Thanksgiving Ideas: Milk Carton Pilgrim People

Looking for fun Thanksgiving ideas? Make some Mayflower Mamas and Papas!

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

Have your kids give props to the originators of Thanksgiving by creating milk cartons pilgrim people. You can use them as unique table centerpieces... if you can find room between the sweet potatoes and stuffing!

Two clean, 1-quart milk cartons:
Empty, of course.
Black acrylic paint and paint brush:
To get that Pilgrim-chic look!
Two 2-inch polystyrene balls.
Yarn:
Yellow, brown, black or red—for hair.
Sandpaper:
Use a fine grade paper.
Black construction paper, white cupcake liners and white and black crepe paper.
Pipe cleaners.
Gold craft foam:
For the requisite buckles.
Tiny Thanksgiving items:
Like tiny turkeys, pumpkins and platters. Check your local craft store or buy them online at Dollhouse Heaven.
Markers:
Black, brown, and blue for eyes to draw the pilgrim's faces. Red for mouths.
Black felt
Double-sided tape
Glue
Scotch tape
Black poster board

Have your kid clean out the milk cartons really well. You don't want your Thanksgiving centerpiece stinking of rotten milk when you've got 20 pounds of turkey to get rid of! When they've dried, have her lightly sand them to slough the wax off.
Then get her to paint them black.
Help her glue a polystyrene "head" onto the top of each milk carton.
Next, help her draw facial features onto the heads with a felt tip marker. She can add a black felt goatee—the facial hair favored by pilgrims and grunge rockers alike—onto the male. Just help her cut out a tiny moustache and pointy beard and glue it on.
Give 'em some limbs! Help your kid cut small slits into the sides of the milk cartons. Stick a pipe cleaner into each hole to give the pilgrims arms. Secure with tape.
Next, have her trim some yarn and stick it on as hair using double sided tape or glue. The male pilgrim can have chin-length hair and the female a little bun.
Next, invite her to get her pilgrims dressed. (Puritans, of all people, don't like being naked!) For the women's clothes, have her grab the black construction paper, a cupcake liner and black and white crepe paper.
- Cut a small triangle of crepe paper and have your child add a little "coif" (that little white hat pilgrim women wear) to the pilgrim's head by placing it on the polystyrene ball with the point facing down towards the back. Glue it in place.
- To make the white ruffled neckpiece worn by pilgrims, have your kid cut the middle out of a cupcake liner before slicing it in open on one side. Help her wrap it around the pilgrim's neck. Glue or tape in place.
- Help her drape black crepe paper around the top of the milk carton to create a waistcoat.
- Next, have her wrap black crepe paper around he pipe cleaners to create sleeves. Glue in place.
- Have her make a skirt by wrapping black construction paper around the milk carton.
- Help her cut a rectangle out of the white crepe paper to make an apron. Have her stick it on with double stick tape.
To create the male pilgrim outfit, have your kid grab some more construction paper, crepe paper, a cupcake liner and a piece of golden craft foam.
- Cut the middle out of the center of a cupcake liner. Fit it around the "neck" of the milk carton to create the "ruff" or male neckpiece of a pilgrim's outfit.
- Then have her wrap black crepe paper around the pipe cleaners to create sleeves. Glue in place.
- Add cuffs out of small strips of white crepe paper.
- Have her wrap the top of the milk carton in a piece of black construction paper to create the "doublet" or jacket.
- Next, help cut three small circular buttons out of the gold craft foam and glue them down the front of the doublet.
- Help her cut two 1-inch pant cuffs from white crepe paper and glue them onto the legs of the milk carton.
- Then have her cut two rectangular buckles out of gold craft foam. Have her glue one onto the hat and one on as a belt buckle.
- And last, but not least, have her make the requisite felt pilgrim's hat by cutting a 3-inch diameter circle from black felt for the brim. Then, get her to cut out a piece of felt approximately 2-inches long by 1-inch high. Form the rectangular piece into a tube, taping the edges together. Then help her tape the tube to the brim. Glue on the buckle and tape or glue the hat to the pilgrim's head. Cut a small circle and glue in place for the top of the hat.
When the pilgrim couple is finished, bend the pipe cleaner arms and have the figures hold small dollhouse-sized platters of turkey or tiny baskets filled with miniature pumpkins.
Finally, have your child set the finished product into the center of your Thanksgiving table. Place some silk autumn leaves or mini pumpkins around them and you've got yourself a centerpiece! Now if only she could carve the turkey!