Thanksgiving Paper Wreath - Kids Craft

One week till Turkey!

Since I'm guessing many of you will be having guests and family coming over this holiday season, I thought maybe I could help with doing to a round up different door decorations to make your home seem extra welcoming. I've decided to focus on one type that is not only cheap to make, with options that range from complex to so easy that it makes a great craft for kids this thanksgiving.

Paper wreaths.
From AZ-Learning we have a harvest thanksgiving wreath that uses paper bags! Just braid together and cut out leaves, turkeys, and any other shape you might like.

Materials list:

• 1 Brown paper shopping bag (for leaves and wreath)
• Orange, brown, and red construction paper or cardstock (for pumpkins, turkeys, and apples)
• Assorted craft supplies and ribbons
• Hot glue and hot glue gun or white glue
• A few clothespins
• Stapler with staples
• 1 large paper-clip

Directions:

1. Cut the ragged top off the paper bag (about 1/2in. down from the top).
2. Cut down one side of the bag from top to bottom.
3. Holding the bag upright, cut from let to right to make three 3in. wide strips.
4. Crinkle each strip so that it looks like a rope.
5. If your kid is old enough or know how, let them braid the three paper ropes. Younger kids can simply twist the ropes.
6. Form the braided ropes into a large circle. Glue the ends together and hold in place with the clothes-pins while the glue dries (or you can use staples).
7. While the glue dries, decorate die cuts of leaves, pumpkins, turkeys, or other fall shapes.
8. Remove the clothespins and decorate your wreath (hint: use decorations to hide the seam where the two ends meet)
9. Unfold the paperclip so it forms a hook. Hook one end of the clip around one of the paper ropes, and use the other end to hang on a nail.

From Marzy Cards there is a leaf wreath that is super simple, and depending on what types of paper you use, can still be glamorous. I like their use of metallic paper. Just make a stencil of different leaves and cut them out and arrange. Thick paper works best. I made one of these over the weekend with the kids, and used it as an excuse to get them collecting leaves and learning about different trees.