Mess-Free Pool Noodle Turkey Craft

My preschooler and I came up with a ridiculously simple, mess-free Thanksgiving turkey craft using feathers and pool noodles. As an added bonus, this adorable turkey craft doubles as a puppet with real gobbling action (child-made sound effects optional!). The craft itself uses no glue and encourages lots of fine motor practice, making it a great Thanksgiving craft for toddlers and preschoolers.

You Will Need:

• a pool noodle cut into two pieces, roughly 1" thick
• colorful craft feathers
• two toothpicks
• one clothespin
• black permanent marker or googly eyes (glue will be needed for the eyes if you choose to use googly eyes)
• optional: red pipe cleaner for the turkey's wattle

Instructions:

My preschooler did not want to use googly eyes for his turkey, so I set out the materials in a pretty wooden tray.

First, he pushed the two toothpicks into one pool noodle. Then he attached this pool noodle to the other one to form the turkey's head and body.

Next, he added colorful feathers. The feathers push into the pool noodles quite easily.

For the turkey's mouth, slide the clothespin through the hole of the one pool noodle. My preschooler then used the permanent marker to draw eyes.

However, upon further inspection, he decided to try and redraw the eyes. And the eyes ended up looking a little deranged, but seriously, what turkey doesn't look crazy?!

Once the turkey is assembled, it can be played with like a puppet. Simply pinch the back of the clothespin and the turkey's mouth will open and close. Gobble gobble!