Diary of a Turkey Craft

We’re going through a phase at our house right now where my kids are loving “diary” books: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amelia Writes, Diary of a Worm, Ella Diaries. . . . These books, written in “diary-format,” are intriguing because they give a reader a special feeling that someone is confiding in them–sharing things they wouldn’t tell anyone else. It’s neat to see my older kids become more interested keeping their own journals in spiral-bound notebooks–thanks to these books.

And it was a fun Thanksgiving discovery to come across Diary of a Pet Turkey, a picture book written in diary format by a homeschooling mom who helped her kids raise a turkey as a hands-on science project. Read on to learn more about the story and to view the tutorial for making a paper-pieced turkey craft using a printable template.

Diary of a Pet Turkey is written in simple first person (err… turkey) perspective and has fun scrawly-drawn illustrations that young kids enjoy. But then the story gets a bit more advanced in the sidebars with lots of non-fiction turkey facts. As we read the book, we discussed how the author weaved these facts into the story through an unlikely format–a turkey’s diary.

I learned quite a bit myself as we read this turkey diary! And how great is this diagrammed page?! Did you ever wonder what that hanging flap of skin by the beak was called?

Though not at all a Thanksgiving story, the Diary of a Pet Turkey was an entertaining read during our holiday preparations and the journaled story inspired us to create some paper pieced turkey art.

To create this Turkey craft, you’ll need:

• Turkey Printable Template
• white paper or card stock
• paint/crayons/markers
• scissors
• glue
• (optional) colored card stock or patterned paper

1. Print the Turkey Craft Template

Print the turkey template. We prefer to use white card stock for a sturdier project.

2. Color or Paint the Turkey Template

We were excited to try ModFamily Paint Sticks for this project. My kids LOVE to paint, and I love the vibrant colors paint gives our projects. BUT, sometimes I cringe at bringing out the mess–especially now that my toddler likes to join the projects.

These paint sticks are amazing and will definitely become an art supply staple in our home. They twist up and glide on the paper like a gluestick and color with the ease of markers. Yet they dry quickly so they aren’t messy(!!!) all while producing the solid paint-like texture and vibrant color that tempera paint does. I was cracking up when Ryan–my 11-year old who normally rolls his eyes at the suggestion of a craft project–jumped at the chance to try the paint sticks and kept saying, “Wow, mom, the colors are sooo rich!”

Even Addy (2) joined this project without a paint apron! Love these paint sticks!

3. Cut and Assemble the Turkey Craft Pieces

Cut the turkey pieces, and assemble with glue.

4. Mount Turkeys for Display

When finished, mount your turkeys on a piece of card stock, patterned paper, or painted paper–if desired, and display all season long!

You can download this craft template (and many others!) by visiting my store at Teachers Pay Teachers.

And as an extra bonus, a turkey coloring page is included with the Turkey Craft download!