Badge: Thanksgiving Crafts

Thanksgiving crafts tend to be the warm colors of brown and deep red – reflecting the color of fall leaves and the harvest.

Steps

1. Colors.

Any fall color is good for Thanksgiving. The reds, oranges, yellows and browns bring warmth into this family holiday. Look outdoors to see how the colors work. Keep this in mind as you bring these colors indoors for your holiday decor and crafting.

2. Shapes.

As you are crafting, you can use shapes for your holiday crafting. Some of these items you can walk outside and use for green crafting. Here are some to start with, add your own to this list.

Acorns
Baskets
Berries (keep fall colors in mind)
Bread
Corn and stalks
Cornucopia
Feathers
Harvest foods
Indians / Native Americans
Leaves
Pilgrims
Pumpkins and gourds
Scarecrows
Turkey

Crafting Time

3. Inside.

You can choose to use what nature provides or purchase faux leaves, foliage, berries, gourds, fruits and vines to create wreaths, table decor and more. Pick items that fit the holiday color scheme and create an item you can use as decor.

4. Settings.

From name cards to napkin folds to favors, individual place settings are a great way to decorate the table without having items left over after the meal. Create items that your guests will be happy to take home with them.

5. Cornucopia.

Typically, the cornucopia is filled with harvest foods. Find or make a cornucopia. You can substitute a basket if you don’t care of cornucopias. Fill your container with faux vegetables, natural items or craft your own.

Alternatively, create a cornucopia or basket to share with a neighbor, older person or someone who could use some help and cheer during the holiday.

6. Turkeys.

Who didn’t make turkeys from their hand prints as kids? Explore other ways you can make turkeys. Try one or more.

7. People.

The story of Thanksgiving began with the Native Americans and pilgrims. Learn about the history of the holiday. How might you use this knowledge to craft something more meaningful for this holiday of gratitude.

8. Thanks.

Find a way to show how you are thankful. You can put each thing you are thankful for on leaf on a bulletin board, salt dough ornaments, decorated cookies, etc. Brainstorm ways to make and share your ideas. You can also check out the supplement for “Giving Thanks.”

9. Recipes.

Create a recipe card specific for Thanksgiving. Ask family members to write out the recipes they make on the cards and decorate them. Digitize the cards and share them with your family to help keep your traditions alive.

10. Scrapbook.

A page adjusted for wall display, a couple pages in an ongoing Thanksgiving book or a full book just for one celebration allows you to incorporate pictures of your celebration, crafts you might have made, thanks on cards, stories shared and more. And each year, you can review previous years’ creations. Explore the possibility of creating a physical or digital scrapbook page.

11. Online.

Don’t forget to check out online offerings. From color sheets to instructions to create themed jewelry, you can find more projects than you can do in your lifetime. As you craft, think about sharing your crafts with others to make their holiday a little brighter.

Supplements

SUPP_Thanksgiving Crafts_2in_12up_larajla

Avery 2.5” round label printable, 12 up

SUPP_ Thanksgiving Crafts_Checklist_larajla

Badge checklist

SUPP_Instruct_Give Thanks_larajla

Crafting items to show those things for which you give thanks

SUPP_Printable_REC_Thanksgiving 1_larajla

Quarter-page blank recipe cards with leaves

SUPP_Printable_REC_Thanksgiving 2_larajla

Quarter-page blank recipe cards with pumpkin

Sites to Explore

Get the infographic here > larajla blog post

Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs