I absolutely love the paint section at Lowe’s. The colors are just so fun! So when I saw the swatches, I just had to grab some and turn them into a craft. And here’s what I came up with (just in time for Thanksgiving!):

It was super simple so you can do it with even young kids and it didn’t take very long. You’ll need some paint swatches, brown construction paper, scissors and glue or tape. First, I trimmed off the part of the swatch that says the paint name. I recycled those pieces so they wouldn’t accidentally end up on my turkey. I used a paper cutter, but students can use scissors, since it’s not very much cutting.

Then I made strips by cutting the remaining parts of the swatch. Depending on the original size of the swatch, you’ll end up with more or less strips (or feathers). I’d have kids each cut up 1 or 2 swatches and then share the resulting feathers with kids around them so everyone ends up with a variety of colors.

Then I cut out the shape of a turkey’s body. This is part of the fun (ending up with different sized/shaped bodies) so just have your kids make their own if they’re old enough. If they need some guidance, have them draw a small circle on top of a bigger circle (kind of like a snowman) and then cut out the outside only.

Then attach the feathers together (in groups of 4 or 5 feathers each) at the bottom using tape or glue. Tape’s faster, but glue works too. Once you’ve attached a few feathers together, stick them to the back of the turkey. Keep doing this until you feel you’ve got enough feathers. 

Then draw a beak, eyes and wings on your turkey and add some legs with the remaining brown construction paper.  And that’s it. Easy-peasy Thanksgiving craft for kids!

If you’re looking for extensions for this craft, have your kids make a graph showing how many blue feathers, green feathers, red feathers, etc. are on their turkey or at their table. Have your students write a character description of their turkey or use spelling/vocabulary words in a story about their turkey. But whatever you do, have a great Thanksgiving!