Thanksgiving Ideas: Wild Turkey Centerpiece

Skip the squash soup and turn your gourd into a tabletop turkey!

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

Looking for Thanksgiving ideas to add some festive flair to your dinner table? Help your kid turn a gourd into a turkey centerpiece even vegetarians can get down with.

A mini decorative gourd:
Look for one that has a bulbous body, that can double as a turkey belly!
A pom pom:
You'll need one big enough to double as the turkey's head.
Red construction paper:
For the beak, the comb (that fancy thing on top of a turkey's head) and the wattle (that wagging thing below his chin--you know, what you're hoping to avoid in your 'golden years').
Scissors
Googly eyes
Feathers:
C'mon, shake your tail feathers!
Hot glue gun and glue sticks:
Kids and glue guns don't mix, so make sure you do all the gluing!

Head to the grocery store or the farmers' market and have your kid pick out a mini decorative gourd (or more than one if you want a flock of turkeys!) that he thinks might make a good turkey.
Bring your baby squash home and clean off any dirt or crud that's sticking to it.
Hot glue the pom pom to the 'neck' of the gourd. This will be your turkey's head.
Let your kid choose feathers for the tail and have him arrange them on the table. Then you can hot glue them to the turkey's tush.
Next, help your kid draw a wattle, a comb and a beak on the red construction paper and have him cut them out.
Using the hot glue gun, carefully glue the wattle, the comb and beak onto the pom pom in their appropriate places. (You might want to have your kid point out where he'd like you to glue them.)
Next glue the googly eyes onto the pom pom and you've got yourself a kooky turkey table decoration.