Turkey Letters

I found a new favorite Thanksgiving picture book in Tanya Lee Stone's T is for Turkey A True Thanksgiving Story. It is a rhyming alphabet book, telling the story, and dispelling the myths of American Thanksgiving, through an adorably illustrated, imaginary school play.

Stone went all out finding interesting phrases, or events connecting to the holiday for each letter of the alphabet - including X. Really, that alone might have been enough to have won my esteem, but there is so much more to the story. From Pilgrim dress to Sarah Hale and Abraham Lincoln, there are enough facts and details to interest and educate the entire family.

Not to mention the fact, that it went perfectly with a craft idea I'd been wanting to try out with the girls since seeing The PolkaDotLady's applique turkey alphabet on Etsy (through pinterest, of course).

To start out with, I gave the girls each a set of turkey letters, beaks, snoods, eyes and feet cut from construction, and scrapbook paper.


First, the girls sorted their letters out, to spell "turkey" on top of two sheets of construction paper glued together to make one long piece, using the title of the book to check their spelling.


Then, they glued legs on the backs of the letters, before flipping them over and gluing them down to their papers.


Finally, they went to town gluing on eyes...


...and beaks, and snoods.


E (age 6) tried pretty hard to arrange the pieces in a way that suggested turkeys. C (age 5) on the other hand, decided to make alien turkeys. Either way, there were a lot of giggles, and stories being told, as the strange birds appeared.


For more story stretching arts and crafts for children, check out this week's stART (story + ART) link-up hosted by A Mommy's Adventures.

It's great to be a homeschooler.