This is a terrific Thanksgiving project!  This project is perfect for Brownies and Juniors, and can be easily done in 30-60 minutes.  I would be helpful for the leader to complete one before the girls attempt it so it’s easier to help them.  As well, the girls may need a model in person to refer to.

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Materials Needed:

Directions:

1. Bend 1 brown chenille in half. Set on work surface. To make head, connect 6 brown chenille by twisting ends together. Wrap around the large round marker overlapping so that the length does not exceed 2 inches. Glue the bent brown chenille into the head piece.  Set aside.
2. Take one brown chenille and wrap around the highlighter without overlapping to make the neck. Slip over the remaining chenille sticking out of head. Glue the top edge into head.  Bend the chenille wire holding head/neck assembly into an upside down U shape. Set aside.
3. The body requires 24 brown chenille stems that are connected and wrapped around the large paint bottle.  Slip off bottle and gently squeeze into an oval shape.  Pick up head/neck assembly, and glue into the body.  Make sure the head is bent over the top of body, as if turkey is looking at you. Set aside.
4. To make a wing, connect two brown chenille stems. Refer to photo to see shape of wings. They are shaped by hand.  The stems touch only at the top of the wings. Glue them together along top to hold shape.  Repeat for second wing.  Twist wing ends together, so that they are 2 ½ inches apart.  Glue wings onto turkey back.
5. Bend the wire at the top of the back in, to close off opening behind head.  Set aside. Cut one yellow chenille in half to make feet.  Take one of the halves, and bend it in half.  Measure ¾ ” back from bend, and bend the chenille at a 90 degree angle. Twist the ¾” together then separate the strands. Bend one piece up to make a V shape for the second toe. Measure and bend stem back at the ¾” mark.  Repeat for third toe.
6. Repeat step to shape other foot. Bend the leg ends up ½” from end, and glue into body base front edge. Set aside.
7. Cut a 4″ piece of yellow to form beak. Bend in half, and then half again.  Attach to head with glue.  See photo for placement. Set in front of you. Cut a 4″ piece of red to form warble.  Bend one end to fit over top of beak, allowing 1-¾” to hang down.  Bend remaining back up, and twist to secure. Glue onto top of beak. See photo if necessary. Place turkey in front of you.
8. Roll one end of black chenille into a little ball.  Cut stem 1″ from rolled end.  Stick stem end into head, and glue into place.  Repeat for second eye.  Refer to photo if necessary.
9. You need five stems for each feather: 15 green, 5 red, 5 yellow, 5 purple and 5 orange.  Twist 5 of the same color together and make a bend 7″ from one end to form an upside down V.  The next bend should be 6″ further. Each time you go up into the feather shape, the next V should be slightly smaller to fit inside the previous one. Repeat until all the feathers are assembled.
10. Lay 2 green feathers with their twisted ends together forming a horizontal line.  Glue the purple and yellow feathers on top of the green ends to form a V shape at the top. Attach the orange and red feathers in like manner so they lay above the 2 green feathers at base.  Glue the last green feather slightly above the orange/red ends.  Refer to photo if necessary. Glue entire tail onto back base of your turkey.

Safety Tips!

1. When twisting the chenille stems together to connect, be careful because the ends can be sharp.
2. Adult supervision is required.

Quick Shopping for This Project

• Chenille Stems 12 6mm 25/Pkg-Multi
• Crayola Total Tools Mega Poster Markers – 4ct.
• Liv Crayola Inkless Highlighter – Sunglow
• Fiskars Creative Works Comfort Grip 7" Scissors
• Aleene’s Orignal Tacky Glue
• Staedtler 12″ Shatterproof Ruler

This is an all-ages project, suitable for both young girls and still a fun, quick project for older girls.  These instructions on aimed more for younger girls, but older girls can easily also do this project with access to more craft supplies to snazzy up their key chains a bit more.   This can easily be done in 30 minutes and is very clean, as long as the fabric paint is kept under control by younger girls.

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Materials Needed:

• Fabric paint
• Split rings
• Ribbons – 28″ of one and 4″ of another.
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencils
• Craft glue.

Directions:

1. Cut a piece of ribbon 28″ long and two coordinating pieces 2″ long.
2. Slip the key ring onto the long piece of ribbon.  Fold it in half over the key ring and glue the ends together.
3. Use the small pieces of ribbon to wrap around and glue over the seam of the other ribbons.
4. Lightly draw the name onto the ribbon.
5. Use the dimensional fabric paint to personalize and let dry.

Safety Tips!

1. Adult supervision is required.

Quick Shopping for This Project

• Slick Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint Yellow
• 500 Split Rings Key Chain Connectors Steel Parts 24mm
• Offray Grosgrain Ribbon 7/8” W 18 ‘-Torrid Orange
• Wildcat 7/8” 3yd
• Fiskars Creative Works Comfort Grip 7" Scissors
• Staedtler 12″ Shatterproof Ruler
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue – 1 pt.

I’ll be the first to admit that the words “foam” and “candle” don’t typically belong in the same sentence!  But in this case, there is actually a glass candle holder between the glass and the foam.  This is a great project for older girls who are more likely to be allowed to burn candles at home.  The design of papers and embellishments used can be altered to match any room decor, favorite color or theme, or holiday!

Want to share photos of your troop and finished projects? Contact Us!

Materials Needed:

• 5″x5″x5″ white craft foam block
• 2 12″x12″ scrapbooking papers for the base
• 20″ of 1-½” wide accenting grosgrain ribbon
• 2-¼” square x 2-½” tall square glass votive holder
• Votive candle
• Glue stick
• Matching embellishments
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Serrated knife
• Spoon

Directions:

1. Place the glass votive holder on top of the craft foam block and trace with a pencil.  Use the serrated knife to cut on the traced line, cutting down approximately 2″.  Use a spoon to remove the foam from the cavity and shape it squarely.  Make sure the votive holder fits before moving on.
2. Cut the base scrapbooking paper into two 6″ x 12″ pieces.  One side at a time, apply the glue to the block and wrap the paper around, smoothing to ensure there are no air pockets or wrinkles.  Glue the second piece around the other side and trim at the seam.
3. Fold and glue the edges at the top and bottom of the block.  Cut at the corners to remove any excess.
4. For the top and bottom of the block, cut two 5″ squares from the scrapbooking paper and glue to the top and bottom.  For the top, cut slits in a pie pattern on the back covering the opening of the block.  Glue and fold to the inside of the opening.  To line the opening, cut a 2″x9″ piece of paper.  Apply the glue and inser the paper.
5. Attach the grosgrain ribbon around the base of the block to accent, overlapping the ends.
6. Replace the glass votive holder into the block.  To add another design touch, display your foam block on top of contrasting fabric, furniture, or paper to really pop.

Safety Tips!

1. Adults should supervise the use of the serrated knife.

Quick Shopping for This Project

• FloraCraft Styrofoam Block 4 7/8″ Squared White
• Scrapbooking Paper
• We R Memory Keepers 1 yard Ribbon Pack-4 pk.
• 3M Glue Sticks – 2pk.
• Staedtler 12″ Shatterproof Ruler
• Fiskars Creative Works Comfort Grip 7" Scissors

This is a great project for both younger girls and older girls.  You can use these luminance bags to decorate for a awards ceremony, or theme them for a holiday to decorate a house hold.  This project shouldn’t require much skill and should be able to be done in about 45 minutes.  You can make a trip out of going to a craft store to learn more about scrapbooking papers and let the girls pick out their favorite sheets, or buy a multi-pack using a theme.  Another alternative to the decorative scrapbooking paper is plain construction paper.

Materials Needed:

• 12″x12″ sheets of scrapbooking paper
• 1 bolt narrow ribbon
• Square glass containers in 3 sizes: 3″, 4″, & 6″
• Double-sided tape
• Paper punches
• Decorative scissors
• Paper trimmer
• Scissors
• Ruler & Tape Measure
• 2 packages flame-less candles

Directions:

1. Wash glass containers.
2. Measure height of class containers.  Cut a piece of scrapbook paper 12″ plus the height.  Use decorative-edge scissors along bottom and top edge.  Center this piece round the glass container.  It will fit the 3″ square glass overlapping by 1/8″.  On the large containers, the 12″ width will not cover completely.  Measure the height and cut 2 pieces, 12″ wide plus the height.  Wrap the tape measure around the containers to get the amount needed to cover completely and add 1/8″.  Cut this measurement from the second piece.
3. Wrap scrapbook paper around glass containers and use your fingers to crease on all corners.  Remove paper and crease all folds.
4. To make the cutout designs, place the paper punch along the folds to reach the center section and along the corner edges.  Make soft folds in the center of the paper to punch this area.  Align the punch along the soft folds.  Punch firmly.
5. Once you have punched the entire area, including the extra piece, use double-sided tape to hold paper to the glass, beginning with the largest piece.
6. Tape ribbon in place overlapping the ends slightly.  Secure with double sided tape.
7. Place flame-less candles inside for a soft glow.

Safety Tips!

1. Use flame-less candles instead of real candles.  The paper is highly flammable, of course, so the flame-less candles will make the project safe for girls of all ages.
2. Paper trimmers for cutting the large initial pieces should be used by adults when working with younger girls, or with adult supervision when working with older girls.

Quick Shopping for This Project

• Scrap Kit 12”X12” Layouts-Girl Scout
• Scrap Kit 12”X12” Layouts-Brownie Girl Scout
• We R Memory Keepers 1 yard Ribbon Pack-4PK/MVP
• Scotch Double-Sided Tape
• 8 ct. Flameless Votives
• Top Ten Paper Punch Set
• Zig Zagz Decorative Scissors
• Fiskars Creative Works Comfort Grip 7" Scissors
• Swingline Classic Cut Ingento Paper Trimmer
• Staedtler 12″ Shatterproof Ruler
• 60” Tape Measure

With all the outdoor activities that girl scouts do, it’s important to bring along a lot of water to stay hydrated.  This is a great craft for a meeting before a camping or hiking trip.  Remember to get a variety of foam stickers so the girls’ creativity can run wild with different designs to fit their personalities.  The alphabet stickers are important for personalization, but if the girls would rather just use stickers to personalize the bottle holders, you can always write their names on the bottom of the can hug with a permanent marker.

There’s not much mess involved with this project – just the paper backings from the stickers that need to be cleaned up at the end of the meeting.

Materials Needed:

• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Ruler
• Ribbon
• Foam can hug, tall
• Foam stickers, alphabet

Directions:

1. Cut three 24″ pieces of ribbon.  Braid the ribbons together to create the handle.
2. On opposite sides of the can hug, punch 2 holes for attaching the handle.
3. Thread the braided ribbon through the holes and secure with a knot.
4. Remove the paper backing from the foam stickers to decorate the bottle holder as desired.

Safety Tips!

1. Always observe the children when using scissors.

Try looking at craft stores for the pre-made can hug.  If you cannot find one, use foam sheets and glue to make one.  Use a standard 16 oz. water bottle to judge the correct size.

Quick Shopping for This Project

• Foam Alpha Stickers-Mini
• Geo Shape Foam Sticker Bucket
• Foam Shapes Assortment 1/2 Pound
• 1/16” Hole Punch
• Fiskars Creative Works Comfort Grip 7" Scissors
• Staedtler 12″ Shatterproof Ruler
• Silk Organza Beginner Pack 1yd Each Of 10 Colors