Disguise A Turkey: A Thanksgiving Take-Home Project
This beloved Thanksgiving project starts with a circle time read-aloud of Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano — a story about a turkey who desperately tries to disguise himself before Thanksgiving. After reading, children get their own turkey outline to take home and transform. The results are always hilarious and heartfelt.
What You'll Need
A copy of Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano, a turkey outline printed on white paper (any simple turkey silhouette works), a manila folder for each child, and an instruction sheet explaining the project to families.
How to Set Up the Activity
Read Turkey Trouble together at circle time. Take time after reading to talk about the story — what disguises did the turkey try? Did they work? What would the children do if they were the turkey?
Explain the take-home project: each child's job is to disguise their turkey so it won't get caught. They can use any materials they have at home — drawings, collage, fabric scraps, googly eyes, stickers, paint, or anything else their imagination comes up with.
Send each child home with their turkey outline and the instruction sheet tucked inside a manila folder. Ask them to write their name on both the turkey paper and the folder so nothing gets mixed up.
Ask them to keep the folder closed — it's a secret until they come back!
When They Return
When children bring their turkeys back, set aside time to do a gallery reveal. Each child opens their folder and shares their disguised turkey with the class. This is a wonderful moment for language: encourage children to describe what their turkey is pretending to be and why that disguise would work.
The variety is always wonderful — turkeys dressed as superheroes, pizza slices, flowers, dinosaurs, and everything in between. Display the finished turkeys on a bulletin board for the classroom to enjoy through November.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is this project for?
This project works beautifully for Pre-K through Grade 1. Younger children may need more help at home, but the open-ended creative element means every child can participate at their own level.
What if a family doesn't have many materials at home?
Send home a small baggie of basic supplies — a few crayons, some stickers, and a strip of coloured paper — so every child has something to work with regardless of what's available at home.
Can we do this as an in-classroom activity instead?
Absolutely. Set up a supply table with collage materials, markers, and craft scraps and let children work on their turkeys in the classroom. The take-home version is special because it involves families, but the in-class version works just as well.