TURKEY TALK

Here's a great handshake for you to use to greet your students this month.  One person opens her palm to make the feathers on a turkey.  The other person makes a fist, sticks out her thumb, and places it inside the palm to resemble the body and head.  Gobble!  Gobble!

I know you'll want to share this finger play with your students this month.

Mr. Turkey 

Mr. Turkey went for            (Start with hands behind your back.)

A walk one day                     (Bring right thumb out in front of you.)

In the very best             

Of weather.

He met Mr. Duck                 (Bring left thumb out in front.)

Along the way

And they talked                   (Have thumbs look at each other.)

Together.

“Gobble, gobble, gobble.”        (Wiggle right thumb.)

“Quack, quack, quack.”           (Wiggle left thumb.)

“Good-bye.”                           (Bow right thumb.)

“Good-bye.”                           (Bow left thumb.)

And they both walked back!   (Wiggle thumbs behind your back.)

Handprint Turkey – Have children place their hand on a sheet of paper extending all the fingers.  Trace.  Children turn the thumb into the head of the turkey and color the other fingers to look like feathers.  Add legs, and there’s your turkey!  You can also do this with paint.  Paint brown paint on the child’s palm, red on the thumb, and a different color on each finger.  Press firmly on a sheet of paper.  Add legs and other details.

Lunch Bag Turkey – Make turkeys from lunch sacks by drawing 6" lines from the top of the bag to the middle.  Have children paint or color the strips.  Cut on the lines to make tail feathers.  Fill a zip baggie with 1 cup rice.  Put it in the bag.  Twist the sack around the bag of rice to make the body.  Add a head and dangly feet.  Attach the recipe for turkey and rice soup and send home for a table decoration.

Turkey and Rice Soup

remains of turkey

3 quarts water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 carrot, diced

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 cup rice

1 cup frozen peas

Place turkey in a large pot with 3 quarts water and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down and simmer 30-45 minutes until the meat falls off the bone.  When it cools, debone the turkey and strain the broth.  Cook the onion, celery, and carrot in the broth for 30 minutes.  Add turkey meat, rice, and peas and simmer 30 minutes more.

How to Cook a Turkey - Let each child dictate how to cook a turkey.  Write down exactly what they say!  Type their recipes up and run off a copy for each child to take home and share with their families.  Or, save paper and post their directions on your class website.