Cute Squash Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

My children and I did some local pumpkin picking over the weekend.  Although they were many great pumpkins to choose from at the farm, my son and daughter were more interested in the many squash and gourds they had at the farm.  They came in many shapes and sizes.  So, on top of the pumpkins we picked, I let them each get a couple of the gourds and squash.  

Many of them had long necks, so in the spirit of the upcoming holiday we turned one into a turkey, and just for the fun of it, we turned one into a swan.

My children loved the idea of turning the squash into animals.  

Materials:

Craft feathers:  I purchased feather trim at AC Moore. 

Hot Glue or craft glue

Googly eyes

felt

Orange or Yellow paint to paint the beak

Squash with a long neck or a long neck gourd

Step 1:  clean off the squash to remove excess dirt.  We pick ours from the farm, so there was a lot of dirt.  You want to be sure you are working with a clean, dried surface.

Step 2: Using your hot glue or craft glue, glue the feathers to the back of the turkey.  I did a couple of rows because I wanted a full feathered turkey.  Instead of buying individual feathers, I purchased feather trim at A.C Moore, it is also available on Amazon.  It was easier to apply a line of glue onto the feather strip then gluing each feather on individually. 

Step 3:  Now it’s time to add on all your turkey details.  You can glue on the googly eyes, use the red felt to make the turkey’s waddle, paint the beak onto the turkey.  Have the children use their imagination and have fun designing the turkey.

If you are choosing to make the swan.  Just use white feathers.  I glued them to the back and also the sides of the squash to make wings.