Brown (Chocolate) Playdough Turkeys

Making brown playdough with food coloring can be a challenge.  But with the secret (ok, maybe not so secret) ingredient, brown playdough is a snap!

All you need to do is make my favorite playdough recipe found HERE.  Just substitute one of the cups of flour with 1 cup of baking cocoa.  The normal 6 cups of flour is now 5 C flour & 1 C baking cocoa.  The rest is the same (minus food coloring).  Easy peasy!!!

Spur some creativity.  Ask the children to make something that is brown.  We made Thanksgiving Turkeys with our brown playdough.

 

Fun to make during the gardening season as well.  Pretend it's dirt and grow some vegetables.

 

While this playdough is non toxic, I don't recommend eating it.  It is tempting with it's chocolate smell though.

 

**Tip... if the playdough seems too sticky, just add 1/4 c of flour during the kneading process.

Turkey Feather Craft

With a free printable template.

What you'll need:

 

 

• Printable Turkey body template. Click HERE to download and print.
• Glue
• Wiggly Eyes
• Craft Feathers
• Crayons or Markers

First cut out the template, then color the turkey.  Glue on the feathers and wiggly eyes and you have a colorful turkey decoration just in time for Thanksgiving.  Easy!!

Free Printable Color Test

Test your preschooler's knowledge of colors with this free printable color test.  Then reward your smarty with some smarties!  Great tool for preschool teachers.  Send this assessment home to let the parents know how their children are doing.

 

 

Click HERE to download the Free Smarties Color Test.

 

Wait! There is more! 

Smarties Number Test

Smarties Shape Test

 

Free Printable Number Test

Test your preschooler's knowledge of numbers 1-10 with this free printable number test.  Then reward your smarty with some smarties!

Click HERE to download and print the Smarties Number Test.

 

I have other smarty tests too!!  Click HERE for the Smarties Shape Test.

Playdough Recipe

This is my FAVORITE playdough recipe!  It lasts a long time without drying out, when stored in an airtight container.  And... It's SUPER EASY!  I LOVE easy!!!

The first step is the wet ingredients.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine:

 

6 C water

12 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Food Coloring

 

Heat it in the microwave for 8 minutes.

While the wet ingredients are heating up it's time to stir together the dry stuff.

 

6 C Flour

26 oz. Salt (about 2 1/8 C)

4 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar

 

Stir together and make a well in the middle.

 

Pour the hot, wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.

Kneed the dough for a couple minutes to finish mixing it together.

I roll the dough out and cut it into 16 pieces. 

I make this for my daycare kiddos every week.  When they're finished playing with it we bag it up for them to take home. If you're using the recipe for a smaller group you may want to only make half.

 

Learning Ideas:

Use playdough to learn about colors. 

 Have the children make something out of their playdough that is the color of the playdough.

Learn about letters or numbers.  Use laminated letter & number mats and let the children form the playdough into letters and/or numbers.  We also use letter stampers.

 

Playdough is totally worth the few minutes of clean up for the sensory stimulation the children receive as they play. 

Indian Feather Counting Craft

During the month of November we focus on learning numbers 1-10.  It's fun to learn numbers 1-5 with this printable Indian Headdress to go right along with the Thanksgiving theme.  And, children LOVE pretending they're Indians.

Click HERE to print the Headdress template.

Cut along the black lines to get three separate pieces.

Staple the strips together with the numbers in order.  The extra strip is for larger heads.

Let the children color the feathers & trace the numbers.  Then staple the strips together the size of the child's head.

Sing I'm A Little Indian (click HERE to listen to the song), & act out the Thanksgiving story.  Click HERE for the Pilgrim hat printable.

Teaching ideas:
Teacher points to a number and asks the children what number it is. 
When they are coloring randomly ask them to point to a number.
Count the Feathers.

Boy & Girl Pilgrim Masks

You can have a great time acting out the Thanksgiving Story with your preschoolers with these printable Pilgrim masks.

Click HERE for the Girl Pilgrim Mask printable. 

And HERE for the Boy Pilgrim Mask printable.

Cut out the masks.  Cut out the eyes with a utility knife.  Let the children color the masks.

Glue craft sticks to the back of the masks.

Pretend to be a pilgrim.

 

Just want the pilgrim hat?  We've got that too!  Click HERE for the Pilgrim Hat Template.

Pilgrim Hat Craft

 

 

Click HERE to get your free printable PILGRIM HAT TEMPLATE

 

Cut off 1" strips off both long ends of the template.

Cut out and let the children color the hat.

Use glitter or glitter glue to make the buckle shine.

Staple the strips to the sides of the hat.

Measure the child's head and staple the strips together.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Finger Puppet Printable Template

Gobble, gobble good times!

Click HERE for your free Turkey Finger Puppet Template printable.

Instructions:

• Cut out a brown body, a red snood (waddle), several colors of feathers, & a yellow beak. 
• Cut out the finger holes using a utility knife (make the holes bigger for older children).
• Let the children glue the feathers on the back side of the Turkey.
• Then have them glue the waddle, beak and wiggle eyes to the front.
• Have fun pretending to hide from the cook.

Click HERE for Turkey Songs & Activities for your Finger Puppet.

Q is for Quilt Craft

 

All you'll need is some scrapbook paper, a piece of construction paper and glue.

 

 

Cut 12- 3x3 squares of scrapbook paper using a few different designs.

 



 

Let the children glue the squares onto the construction paper.

 



 

And there you have it!!  A beautiful paper quilt to be proud of!

 

Click HERE to get First School's free printable Q is for Quilt handwriting worksheet.

 

 

This is a fabulous craft to make when learning about squares too!

Thanksgiving & Fall Songs for Preschool

Seven fun songs to sing with your preschoolers at Thanksgiving time.  With video and sound.

 

5 Fat Turkeys

Five fat turkeys are we-e,

We slept all night in a tree-e.

When the cook came around we couldn't be found.

And that's why we're here you see. He he!

 

Did You Ever See A Turkey

Did you ever see a turkey, a turkey, a turkey?

Did you ever see a turkey go this way and that?

Go this way, and that way. Go this way, and that way.

Did you ever see a turkey go this way and that?

 

I Am Thankful

I am thankful, I am thankful,

For my *family*, for my *family*.

On Thanksgiving day, you will hear me say,

"Thank you, thank you".

(ask the children what they are thankful for and sing in place of *family*)

Another Thanksgiving song to sing to the tune of Frere Jacques is:

I Eat Turkey

I eat turkey, I eat turkey.

Yum yum yum, yum yum yum.

Always on Thanksgiving, always on Thanksgiving.

Yum yum yum, yum yum yum.

 

I'm A Little Indian

I'm a little Indian on the go.

Here is my arrow, here is my bow.

When I go a hunting here me shout,

"BEARS AND BUFFALO BETTER WATCH OUT"!

 

The Leaves Are Falling Down

The leaves are falling down.

The leaves are falling down.

Red, Yellow, Orange & Brown,

The leaves are falling down.

(Pretend there is a wind storm & sing the song fast.  Pretend there is no wind and sing the song slow. Let the children pretend they are the leaves -- falling down)

 

Hello Mr. Turkey

Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?

Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?

Your feet go wobble, wobble.

And your head goes gobble, gobble.

Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?

 

 



L is for Leaf

Fall Leaf Thankful Statements

Kids say the cutest things!  Record what they're thankful for on a colorful fall leaf.  Click HERE to download your free printable leaf template.  Cut out some leaves on fall colored construction paper then ask your preschoolers what they are thankful for. 

Make good use of teaching opportunities for every craft & activity you do with your preschooler.  With this activity we learned about the letter L.  Click HERE to print the L is for Leaf handwriting worksheet from the First School website.  I LOVE First School's printables!

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving Handprint Poem Printable

Thanksgiving is almost here!  This craft is the perfect gift for a child to give to someone they love. 

 

 

 

Click HERE for a free Thanksgiving Handprint Poem Printable then paint your child's hand like a turkey and press it in the empty space under the poem.  Frame it for a fabulous finished look. 

Free Printable Leaf Template

& Fun Fall Leaf Craft Ideas

Click HERE to print your FREE LEAF TEMPLATE 

Use it to make these 2 Fall Leaf Craft Ideas.

Make this cute leaf wreath using leaves cut from fall colored construction paper.
Cut out the center of a paper plate.  Glue leaves all around the plate. 

For this craft you'll need: Wax paper, Crayon shavings, construction paper leaves, & a full sheet of construction paper.
Place the leaves on the sheet of construction paper with crayon shavings on top.  Place your wax paper over the leaves.  Use an iron to melt the crayon shavings.  Use a towel to protect the papers.  Fold the edges and staple them in place to create the look of a framed piece of art.