Make a fall leaf turkey in preschool

Today was a beautiful fall day here! It was windy with a little chill in the air but bright and sunny. And the leaves were falling everywhere.  I think because of the leaf exchange I participated in, I am extremely aware of every leaf I see on the ground right now:-)

Every time I see a pretty leaf, my mind swirls with ideas of activities we could do in preschool. But the leaves wont stay pretty for long so I decided to get a jump on this idea before the all the leaves turn brown and crunchy!

While out on my walk in the park, I picked up these leaves and as soon as I put them together – they looked like turkey feathers to me! LOL! Oh the mind of a preschool teacher just never stops spinning everything into something preschool!

Leaf Turkey

What you will need….

  • leaves
  • glue
  • brown, yellow, and red construction paper
  • marker
  • scissors

What to do….

I started by cutting out a brown turkey head and red wattle from the construction paper and glued them together. Then I added eyes with the black marker.

Next I organized my leaves on a sheet of yellow construction paper to see how I like them with the head. In the classroom, I would suggest to the kids that they try organizing first but chances are they would rather just skip to the gluing:)

Now it is time to glue.  My best suggestion is to place a glob of glue in the center of the back of each leaf and press down on the paper rather than all over the back of the leaf. This allows for a little 3-D look and later as the leaves dry out, the leaves will begin to curl – so now we have some fall turkey science:)

Then I started layering the leaves on the yellow paper – placing a glob of glue in the center of each leaf and pressing it down on the paper.  I put the largest leaves on first and ended with the smallest on top. Hmmm, now this is a math concept too – sorting by size!  I also made sure my stems all pointed to the middle!

Now generously put glue on the back of the turkey head…

And plop the head right on top of the leaves…

The head sets up a bit from the paper which adds an even more 3-D look! How exciting!!

With November right around the corner – here are some fun ideas you can go and see from Chalk Talk!

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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