While the turkey is cooling and the final preparations are in full swing, have a table set up for the kids to keep busy and make them feel they have contributed something to the day.

What you need:

• Paper
• Pins or fine tipped markers
• Stickers (Thanksgiving)
• Ribbon (1/4 " in Fall colors)
• Basket (optional)

What to do:

1. Have paper pre cut using regular or fancy cut scissors.
2. With pencil, pen or fine tipped marker, ask the children to write Thanksgiving blessings (things they are thankful for or happy thoughts about the day).
3. They can decorate their paper with stickers or markers.
4. When finished, they will roll up the paper and tie with a ribbon.
5. They can be placed at each place setting or placed in a basket to be passed around the table.
6. At some point during dinner, the blessings are read.
7. Adults can also participate as they come over, writing their thoughts.

Thanksgiving for the Birds

A treat for our outdoor friends on a special day. Another craft for keeping children from being bored while adults are having that second piece of dessert.

What you need:

• Bagels, scalloped cookies or bread
• (you may choose one or all)
• Cookie cutters (heart shaped)
• Peanut butter
• Wild bird seed
• Ribbon/raffia
• Plastic knives

What to do:

1. Have split bagels, butter cookies and loaf of bread on table.
2. If using bread, have heart shaped cutter to make your shape. Make a hole near top to hang with a straw.
3. Spread peanut butter on cookie, bread or bagel, then place on plate that has wild birdseed on it.
4. Remove from plate, shaking off excess seed.
5. Tie a ribbon through bagel, cookies or heart.
6. Make some to take outside to hang in a tree and place some in plastic bags to take home.

Edible Cornicopia

Let the kids help decorate your Thanksgiving Day desserts or use the miniature cornucopia to decorate place cards.

What you need:

• Bugles brand snack
• 1 can of cream cheese frosting (ready made)
• Runts candy (fruit shaped) or Trix cereal
• Plastic knives

What to do:

1. Fill the Bugles with frosting using a knife or small spoon. Add some extra frosting on outside of opening.
2. Place the fruit shaped candy or the Trix cereal in the frosting.
3. If making place cards, cut paper, write name and add a little frosting on the card to hold the cornucopia. Place on plates or use to decorate cupcakes, or pumpkin pies.

Last Minute Thanksgiving Flower Arrangement

A grocery store bouquet with fall colors is easy to pick up to use for a casual Thanksgiving table arrangement.

What you need:

• Grocery store bouquet
• Colorful squash, gourds, mini- pumpkins, apples, pears, etc.
• Bowl

What to do:

1. Place vegetables and fruit in a bowl, arranging them by color and shape.
2. Add water to bowl
3. Cut flowers and stick them between fruits and vegetables to make a full colorful centerpiece.

Decorating Autumn Leaves

Scatter the graceful leaves around a real pumpkin to create an elegant centerpiece.

What you need:

• Leaf shapes
• Window screen
• Newspaper
• Gold spray paint
• White paper
• Permanent black marker
• Old scissors
• Gold, copper or bronze paint pen (used for fabric painting)

What to do:

1. Pick shapes of leaves that have clean edges. Cut window screen a little larger than the leaf.
2. Lay screen on newspaper and spray the screen gold. Let it dry and paint it on the other side. Let dry lay the leaf shape on a piece of white paper and put the painted window screen over the leaf.
3. Draw around the leaf with permanent marker. Add the veins of the leaf with marker.
4. Cut out the leaf using old scissors.
5. Using the paint pen draw around the leaf and add the veins. Let the paint dry. Bend the leaf slightly to make it look real.