Yup... it's time for our Thanksgiving Issue. I hope you're ready for turkeys, pilgrims, indians, and other Thanksgiving themed stuff.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving crafts and activities!

Little Kid^TM Crafts

• Turkey Hat - This craft is sure to be a hit with the kids. We made this at our house and the kids didn't want to take them off! It's very cute!

• Fall Leaf Turkey - This is a very creative way to use things that you can find out in your yard. A few leaves and a pinecone is all it takes!

• Pilgrim Bonnet - Make a paper bonnet that looks like a bonnet the pilgrim girls wore at our first Thanksgiving. The kids will love it!

• A Child's Thanksgiving Tree - This project is a great way to help younger and older children alike remember what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving. When the celebrations are over, you could also put this project away and keep it as a remembrance of your children... I love that!

• Cornucopia Paper Craft - This one is quick and easy... just print, cut out, and glue together.

• Hand and Foot Turkey - I'm sure you've seen this craft before... it's kind of a standard craft at Thanksgiving, but it's still worth mentioning since it's so cute.

• Tiny Tom Turkey Craft - A great recycling craft to make turkeys using an egg carton. It also makes a cute Thanksgiving table top decoration.

• Paper Plate Turkey - This is another really quick and easy little kid craft. A paper plate and some construction paper is all you'll really need to make it.

More Challenging Crafts

• Perler Bead Thanksgiving Patterns - Decorative Perler bead patterns that make a great addition to your holiday table. They're really nice!

• Paper Bag Pilgrim Dolls - This is a no-sew project made from paper bags, stuffing, and paints.

• Dishtowel Scarecrow - This would be a great project for Girl Scouts and it makes a great holiday decoration.

• Turkey Origami - You'll find really great directions as well as a printable paper to make this folded paper turkey.

• Thanksgiving Turkey Treat Jar - A nice way to turn an empty jar into a cute Thanksgiving craft.

• Native American Bracelets - These are really fun and easy to make. You can also do the same idea using brown paper bags and tie them closed with yarn or glue them.

Other Useful Links

• School Classroom Parties 101 - In the past several years I've volunteered to help in my children's classrooms in a lot of different capacities. To me, being a room mother is the most challenging and stressful. Room mothers are usually responsible for planning and hosting holiday parties for the class. Unfortunately, teachers often don't provide much information or guidance, and children have high hopes for a fun party. Here's what I've learned over the years to make it the most fun for everyone involved.

• Fall Classroom Party Ideas - Many of the schools these days have opted out of having holiday parties in favor of a more generic theme. In the school my children attend, they no longer have Halloween or Thanksgiving parties... Now they have a Fall/Harvest party instead. If you're the room parent for your child's classroom, this new school party tradition can present a lot of challenges and difficulties... but it still can be a lot of fun. Here are a few ideas to get you pointed in the right direction for your Fall classroom party.

• Oriental Trading Co. - If you're planning on a group craft project for Thanksgiving, then you have to check out what Oriental Trading has to offer. They have tons of projects to choose from and you can purchase complete craft kits for an entire class for pennies per person... this makes it really easy!

• By the way, don't forget to check out the message boards at:

  http://www.kidcraftsmagazine.com/messageboards.shtml