Let The Kids Decorate The Table This Thanksgiving

Kids love making a mess and being creative. What better way to keep them busy while they are waiting for Thanksgiving dinner, then to create some one-of-a-kind decorations for the dinner table? Provide the kids with some paper, glue, scissors, crayons, and other craft supplies, such as feathers, pine cones and artificial leaves.

Placemats are easy for children to make. Start with a rectangle of construction paper and let the children decorate them. If they are provided with pictures of food and other Thanksgiving things to cut out from magazines, they could make a collage. They could use stickers, simple silhouettes or leaf shapes to add to their placemats as well. Another thing fun for kids, especially the younger ones, is to trace around their hands to make turkeys. If you want to preserve the placemats for later years, simply cover them in clear contact paper once the children are finished.

Napkin rings are a nice touch for each place setting. The rings could be made from strips of construction paper, card stock or toilet paper roll tubes. Feathers alone could turn them into Indian headdresses. A simple turkey body and feet with a few feathers will create a cute turkey. A pilgrim's hat could be made easily by adding a black brim around the bottom of the ring and pasting on a paper buckle.

The children could also make pinecone turkeys as favors for each place setting. Feathers could be made from construction paper, pipe cleaners or simply use craft feathers. Glue them to the wider end of the cone, and then attach a head to the smaller end. Add some feet to help stabilize it, to keep the turkey from rolling.

Centerpieces are also a wonderful addition to the Thanksgiving table. A cornucopia is fairly easy to put together. Once a nicely shaped wicker horn is selected, the children can arrange fruits, vegetables and leaves in and around it. Depending on how long the decorations will be out, you will have to decide between fresh and artificial produce.

A turkey centerpiece can be made a few days ahead from paper mache'. Use a balloon for the base, using a standard paste recipe. Once it is dry, paint the body brown. Adding bright fall colored feathers, a body and feet will create a turkey centerpiece that will look too good to eat.

Another interesting craft the kids can make to help with the decorations is a table runner. Find a strip of fabric about a foot wide and about four feet longer than the table, to allow it to drape at either end. Using pinking sheers, a surger, or hem it, to finish off the edges so it doesn't ravel. Then let the children use fabric permanent markers to draw the first Thanksgiving scene, complete with Indians, Pilgrims and turkeys.

The decorations the children create are sure to become family treasures enjoyed for many years to come.