This coffee filter turkey kids craft is a cheerful hands-on project for kids, classrooms, and family craft time. It uses the tutorial steps below as the practical guide while adding helpful planning notes so the project feels easier to prepare, follow, and finish. Gather the supplies first, give yourself a little workspace, and enjoy making something creative from simple materials.
Materials:
- Coffee filter (1 per turkey)
- Washable markers
- Tongue depressor (aka jumbo craft stick)
- Brown acrylic paint
- Construction paper scraps (yellow and red)
- Googly eyes (6 or 8 mm size)
- Glue tape (or glue stick)
Equipment:
- Spray bottle (can also use eye dropper or measuring spoon)
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your materials and supplies.
Step 2: Colour coffee filter
- Flatten out a coffee filter on a tray.
- Draw on the coffee filter with washable markers. The more marker you add, the darker your turkey will be. If you leave a lot of white space the turkey will be mostly white.
- Spray the coffee filter with water, just enough that the coffee filter is soaked through.
- You can also use an eye dropper or small measuring spoon to add water.
- Allow the coffee filter to dry. Here’s our coffee filter after it dried overnight. (You can also dry the coffee filter in the oven in 20 minutes. For more on that, see the notes below).
Step 3: Make turkey body and face
- Paint a tongue depressor brown.We only painted the front side, but you can paint both sides if you’d like!
- Now cut out a small triangle from yellow construction paper for the beak.
- Then cut out a small squiggly line for the turkey’s wattle from red construction paper.
- Add glue tape to the back of the googly eyes and attach them close to the top of the tongue depressor.
- Add glue tape to the beak and press the red wattle toward one side of the beak.
- Add more glue tape if needed, then attach the beak (wattle side down) below the googly eyes.
Step 4: Make coffee filter feathers
- Fold the coffee filter in half. Open it back up and add glue tape to one half of it.
- Re-fold the coffee filter, pressing down to connect both sides.
- Now take a pair of scissors and cut 1 inch slits around the curved edge of the coffee filter to make a fringe.
- Add glue tape to the top third of the back of the tongue depressor.
- Press the tongue depressor onto the coffee filter (make sure the folded side is down, with the fringe at the top).
- Your coffee filter turkey craft is complete!
TIP:
- If you want to make more than one turkey you can stack two coffee filters together and only colour the top coffee filter.
Helpful Tips
- Read through the full tutorial before starting.
- Prepare the listed supplies ahead of time so each step is easier to follow.
- Check the finished craft against the instructions before displaying or using it.
FAQs
Is this tutorial beginner friendly?
Yes. This coffee filter turkey kids craft is written with simple steps and extra tips for beginners.
Can kids make this craft independently?
Older kids may be able to work independently, while younger kids should have help with any steps that require close attention or small pieces.
How long does the craft take?
Most versions take about 30 minutes, depending on the materials and the pace of the crafter.
Can I use different colors?
Yes. Changing the colors is one of the easiest ways to personalize the finished craft.
Final Thoughts
Once the coffee filter turkey kids craft is finished, take a moment to check the details, compare the result with the tutorial, and display the project somewhere kids can enjoy their work.
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