Colorful Feather Turkey Craft to Make With Your Kids
It’s a few weeks until Thanksgiving which is the perfect time for this feather turkey craft for kids. For this project I wanted to make feather turkeys that could stand up to a bit of little girl (or boy) imagination and still look good when Thanksgiving gets here. The styrofoam body and head were perfect stable bases for my daughter’s sometimes not so gentle hands. We chose to add colorful feathers that you can find in most craft stores as my daughter and I both loved the bright colors and how soft and pretty they are. Googly eyes and felt beak and wattle for the face finished off our new holiday friends. We hope you enjoy!
This project is also fun for the kids on Thanksgiving Day. Prepare the turkey bodies (assembled and painted) and cut out the felt pieces ahead of time. This way the kids just need to add the face and feathers (which are the best parts). For younger kids, you can add the faces ahead of time too, so they can just decorate their turkeys with colorful feathers.
ANOTHER FUN TURKEY CRAFT: Pipe Cleaner Turkey: A Colorful, Fun Kids Craft
Feather Turkeys
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 4 – 6″ Styrofoam Ball
- 2 – 3″ Styrofoam Ball
- Brown Paint
- Foam Brush
- 3/16″ Dowel
- Craft Glue
- Googly Eyes
- Red and Orange Felt
- Flathead Pin (used for sewing)
- Assorted Colored Feathers
MATERIAL TIPS:
- Styrofoam Types: There are 3 types of styrofoam balls on the market these days, white crafting (smooth flat surface), white floral (rougher more porous surface), and green floral. For this project, pick the rougher white floral one. Feathers tend to go in easier which is much better for little hands.
- Styrofoam Shapes: For this craft I was only able to find round balls for the body, so I had to cut them in half (Step 1). There are a few places that now sell a half ball, saving you the effort. Either option works as long as the surface is rough and porous.
Making the Turkey Body
1. ADULTS: using a serrated knife (bread knife works great!), carefully cut the large styrofoam ball in half. Hold the ball at the top until its cut all of the way through which will help it from breaking apart unevenly. This will become your turkey body. (If it does break apart in more than 2 parts or unevenly, just use the craft glue to fix. No one will ever know.)
2. Paint the styrofoam half and the small ball with the brown paint and foam brush. Use the brush to push the paint into the porous surface of the balls rather than just sweeping it across the surface. Let dry.
3. You will need approximately 2″ of dowel to secure the small ball (turkey head) to the body. If you have a saw to cut the dowel, that’s great! If you do not, then you can break the dowel with your hands.
4. Push half of the dowel into the head and then the rest of the dowel into the body. Separate the pieces again. Put craft glue into the holes and reassemble.
The Feathers
5. You are now ready to add feathers. Hold the feathers close to the tip and push them into the body, twisting back and forth until they are secure. Add as many as you like until you have a full and colorful tail.
The Face
6. Use craft glue to attach the googly eyes.
7. Cut a triangle beak out of the orange felt and a wattle out of the red felt.
8. Add craft glue to the wattle and place it on the head. Use the pin to secure it.
9. Glue the beak on and let everything dry.
My daughter added feathers to the head of her turkey which I thought was a pretty cute, creative option. As you can see, no two turkeys look alike which is part of the fun. I hope you enjoy these festive feather turkeys! What turkey craft projects do you like to do with your kids to celebrate the holiday? Let me know in the comments!
