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Crafts For Your Thanksgiving Table

It’s early Thanksgiving morning and your house is a potpourri of holiday fragrances – turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberries. You give the crystal stemware one more polishing before you carefully place them on the table. The sparkling silver platter reflects your satisfied smile as you go over the checklist one last time. Crystal, silver, linen – it’s all there. Now one more review of Miss Manners’ guidelines for proper table etiquette and you’re set for the perfect Thanksgiving feast. That is, until your children coming running in with homemade placemats, pinecone turkeys and paper pilgrim hats. They’ve worked so hard on their projects you can’t possibly tell them their crafts are not acceptable for the table.

Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and celebrate each other. Yes, we would like things to be perfect, but expecting children to sit at a table that is set for the Queen can take all the fun out of Thanksgiving. Allowing children to be part of the set-up and decorating can begin a tradition of a Thanksgiving that is less stressful, relaxing and FUN!

This year ask for everyone’s help when preparing for Thanksgiving. Give both your big and little guest the opportunity to personalize the dinner table with their heirloom items as well as homemade crafts. If you need to add to the school-made contributions of your little pilgrims, or if your older Indians are no longer creating construction paper feathered headbands in class, try some of these ideas: (as with all projects, please be sure to have adult supervision)

Fall Tablecloth

Supplies needed:

1 white or cream-colored table cloth (should be a cotton/polyester blend that has been pre-washed but not exposed to a fabric softener)

Fabric paint or stamp pads in fall colors

Stamps or potatoes (cut out and make your own stamps)

Assorted leaves (to use as stamps also)

Paintbrush

Instructions:

Brush a stamp (rubber, potato or leaf) with paint or tap it on the stamp pad and then firmly press it down on the cloth. Try overlapping different colored leaf prints or creating a border. This is when the children will really get a chance to be creative. On Thanksgiving Day, pass out permanent markers and have everyone write on the tablecloth what they are thankful for. This will make a great keepsake year after year.

Nature’s Placemats

Supplies needed:

Assorted leaves

Wax paper

Iron

Crayon shavings (optional)

Instructions:

While your iron is warming up to a low setting, place a sheet of wax paper approximately 12” x 18” on a protected surface. Arrange leaves on the paper and cover with a second sheet of wax paper the same size. Cover the second sheet of wax paper with some paper towels (to protect your iron) and iron until the two wax paper pieces are fused together. For extra color and creativity, you can add some crayon shavings to your leaf arrangement before covering and ironing. Your table will look so festive, no one will want to cover their mats with plates!

Indian Corn Napkin Holders

Supplies needed:

Empty paper towel rolls

Brown felt

Indian corn kernels

Glue

Instructions:

Cut the paper towel rolls into 1-inch sections giving you rings. Cut 1-inch strips of brown felt which are long enough to go completely around the paper towel section (you will need two strips per tube section). Glue a felt strip to the outside and inside of the ring. Once the felt has adhered and the glue is dry, dab the back of the Indian corn kernels with glue and place them on the outside of the ring. Try creating different patterns by placing the corn in rows or designs and by using different colored kernels.

Pumpkin Vases

Supplies needed:

Pumpkin – carved or whole

Floral foam

Small bowl

Flowers

Instructions:

Don’t through away your Halloween jack-o-lantern just because the trick-or-treating is over – recycle it as a vase! If you have a pumpkin that has not been carved, cut an opening at the top large enough to slide a small bowl through. For previously carved pumpkins, you may need to adjust the hole depending on the size of your bowl. Adhere floral foam to the bottom of the bowl and place it inside the pumpkin. Arrange flowers in the pumpkin making sure they’re secure in the floral foam. Don’t be afraid to bring nature inside by adding stems of small pinecones, branches with leaves or even small palm fronds to your creation.

Gourd Candlestick Holders

Supplies needed:

Small gourds (make sure they sit flat on a hard surface)

Candles

Instructions:

Set the gourd on a hard, level surface and determine where the center is. Using a sharp paring knife cut a whole in the top of the gourd just large enough for the candlestick. You don’t want any extra space or your candle will not stay in a straight position. Try using taller gourds for taper candles or small pumpkins for votives.

Gourd Place Card Holders

Supplies needed:

Small gourds (one per guest)

Index cards

Stamps, markers, crayons

Instructions:

Using a sharp paring knife cut a horizontal slit (slanted towards the back) in the front of the gourd or pumpkin about ½ inch deep. Using colorful markers or crayons, write the names of the dinner guests on the index cards and decorate with stamps or markers. Slide the name card into the slit and place the gourd on the dinner plate. No more musical chairs at the dinner table!

With a bit of imagination, creativity, and some simple fall supplies, your dinner table will have your little pilgrims beaming with pride and stand as a symbol of the true meaning of Thanksgiving: togetherness.

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