Thanksgiving - Fun Craft ideas for Kids

 Thanksgiving Napkin Holder

Thanksgiving Napkin Holder - fun and easy for the little one to make.

Supplies: 

1. Washable children's paint and brush
2. Small piece of red construction paper
3. 9" lightweight paper plates with the ruffle edges
4. Safety scissors
5. Marker 
6. Tape.

Paint the plate's edges with fall colors. Let dry. Cut a 2 1/2 inch long piece from the red

construction paper. 

Round one end for the head. Make eyes with a marker and carefully

cut a beak below the eyes in a "V" shape.

When the plate is dry bend the plate at 3 1/2 inches from the front edge and the back edge.  

Bend the lower edge of the head piece 1/2 inch and tape it to the bottom of the center front. 

Now add some pretty napkins and you are done!

Thanksgiving Table Favors/Place Card

Supplies:

1. Fall colored construction paper
2. Large tongue depressors
3. 9 oz. paper cups
4. Marker
5. Safety scissors
6. Ruler
7. Glue

Cut cups to be about 2" tall. (I use a gold colored cup). Cut a tongue depressor in half making 2 heads. 

Cut 5 pieces of various colored construction paper that are 5 inches by 1 inch for feathers. Make one end rounded.

On half of a tongue depressor make eyes with a marker. Cut a yellow beak and glue it under eyes. Glue the tongue depressor to the cup.

Cut two wings that are 1 inch by 1 inch (make one end round) and glue them on each side of the tongue depressor (rounded end facing back)

Glue the tongue depressor to the back making them fan out. If you want, you can place a name on each one as place card and perch one in front of each table setting.

Fill cups with candy maybe candy corn, you should find it on sale now.

Make Halloween Full of Treats and No Tricks

Halloween night is one night of the year where it almost feels like all rules go out the window. Children count down the days towards Halloween night when it is okay to scare people, okay to play tricks on others, and okay to ask strangers for treats! Parents spend so much time and energy protecting their children from common dangers in and out of the home for the every day, but when it comes to special nights like Halloween; it can be very easy to forget some of the most basic rules.

Research indicates that Halloween night is most dangerous for children between the ages of five and eleven, and that lack of parental supervision is a leading cause in many injuries that may occur with children on Halloween night. To ensure child Halloween safety, even more precautions than your every day safety concerns need to be taken, as the bulk of the activities happen in the dark, with strangers, and on crowded streets. It is very easy to ensure your child’s safety on Halloween night without compromising their fun as well.


The number ONE rule of Halloween safety is to ensure your child is supervised. If your child falls in the age ranges between five and eleven, then you must ensure your child is accompanied by you, or by a trustworthy adult. Do not trust young children with older children, as the night is too distracting and too much fun even for older children. Take the initiative and the responsibility and attend this event with your child. When years pass and you look back, you will be happy that you did.
Here are some basic child Halloween safety tips for the remainder of the evening.

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Before You and Your Children Go Out

• Ensure that your child is provided with all of the reflective materials that they need when they are walking in the dark. Put reflective tape and markings on their costumes as discreetly as you can. The younger your children are, the easier this will be considering older children do not appreciate the sanctity of the costume that they have worked so hard on ‘destroyed’.
• If you do have older children that refuse the tape or markings, fret not. Gone are the days of lugging huge flashlights around. Parents can purchase glow in the dark bracelets, glow sticks, or night wands that children can take with them. You may still experience some resistance, but remind your children who is the parent. They don’t take these with them, they don’t go out.
• Ensure your child’s costumes are flame retardant and are not billowy and risk catching flames. Homeowners are getting more and more imaginative with their outdoor decorations and becoming less aware of child Halloween safety. Jack-O-Lanterns are still popular and these are a fire hazard regardless of how safe they may appear.
• Your child’s costume should not touch the ground in a manner that may trip them.
• Ensure your children go trick-or-treating on a full stomach so that they are not tempted to eat any treats, questionable or otherwise, while they are out.

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When Trick or Treating

• Do not pass stopped cars if you are driving, as they may be unloading groups or small children. If you are driving, it is best to choose a neighborhood, and park your vehicle.
• Only visit homes that are well lit, regardless of how interesting the spooky decorations may be. You also want to accompany young children to the door. People that are scary on days other than Halloween would like to take advantage of this evening in preying on unsuspecting children, and it is your responsibility to ensure this rule is followed for maximum child Halloween safety.
• Do not allow your children to enter a stranger’s home, no matter how nice the people may seem.
• Keep your cell phone on you at all times, and if you are allowing older children to go out with their friends, ensure they have a cell phone with a full battery.
• Do not allow your older children to trick or treat alone.
• Stay on the sidewalks and do not cross lawns. You never know who may be lurking in a bush. Even if someone is hiding for a fun scare, it may terrify young children and ruin the entire evening.
• Older children should have a curfew, and if they do not follow it, their goodies should be confiscated. 

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When the Night is Over

After everyone is home and safe and sound, the only concern you have now is what is in their bags. Inspect all goodies for both young and older children and toss out anything you just don’t feel right about or is questionable. Do not allow your children to eat anything that has been unwrapped, or does not come in a sealed wrapper. These are the basics of child Halloween safety. As always, use your best judgment, your parental instinct, and you can ensure a safe night for everyone without instilling a feeling of paranoia.

Back to School Safety Tips

As parents prepare for the start of a new school year, teaching children how to be safer needs to be at the top of their list of things to do. An analysis by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children of attempted abductions during the past five years found that children are at most risk when going to and from school or school related activities.

Parents and other adults can help keep children safe by following these ten tips

1. Teach your children to always TAKE A FRIEND with them when walking or biking, and stay with a group while standing at the bus stop. Make sure they know which bus to ride.

2. Walk the route to and from school with your children pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they're being followed or need help. Teach your children they should NEVER TAKE SHORTCUTS and always stay in well-lit areas.

3. It is not safe for young children to walk to and from school, even in a group. Parents should always provide supervision for young children to help ensure their safe arrival to and from school. If your children wait for a bus, wait with them or make arrangements for supervision at the bus stop.

4. Teach your children that if anyone bothers them, makes them feel scared or uncomfortable to trust their feelings and immediately get away from that person. Teach them it is ok not to be polite and IT IS OK TO SAY NO.

5. Teach your children if anyone tries to take them somewhere they should RESIST by kicking and screaming, try to run away and DRAW ATTENTION by kicking and screaming "This person is trying to take me away" or "This person is not my father/mother."


6. Teach your children NOT TO ACCEPT A RIDE from anyone unless you have said it is ok in that instance. If anyone follows them in a vehicle they should turn around, go in the other direction, and run to a trusted adult who may help them.

7. Teach your children that grownups should NOT ASK CHILDREN FOR DIRECTIONS, they should ask other adults.

8. Teach your children to NEVER ACCEPT MONEY OR GIFTS from anyone unless you have told them it is ok to accept in each instance.

9. Make sure the school has current and accurate emergency contact information on file for your children and confirm names of those authorized.

10. Always know where your children will be. Teach your children to always CHECK FIRST before changing their plans before or after school. Teach your children to never leave school, with anyone unless they CHECK FIRST with you or another trusted adult, even if someone tells them it is an emergency.

Children should be taught to trust their feelings. They need to know that if someone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused, they should tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult.