Turkey disguised as an astronaut
Cover the body with aluminum foil, draw the control-panel buttons with a marker and bend a pipe cleaner into the antenna. A circle cut from a clear plastic lid makes a visor you can see through.
Print this disguise →Print a blank turkey for the school project, or pick one of 10 disguises and print the turkey already dressed as an astronaut, Santa or a superhero, with your child’s name and the “My turkey is disguised as…” sentence. Free, in your browser, no sign-up.
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Five ready-made pages, each a one-page US Letter PDF drawn with thick outlines that are easy to color and cut. Print at 100% (“Actual size”); on A4 paper choose “Fit to page”. Cardstock holds glue, cotton balls and feathers much better than plain copy paper.
The classic sheet: a turkey with nine big tail feathers, a name line and “My turkey is disguised as ____” at the bottom.
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The same turkey without tail feathers, for families who glue on real feathers, paper ones or a costume that covers the back.
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Eight large feathers to color, cut out and glue behind the turkey, each with a small tab marked “glue”.
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A box to draw where the turkey is hiding and three sentences to finish on handwriting lines: what it is disguised as, why nobody will find it and what the disguise is made of.
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The note teachers send home with the turkey, with a blank line for the due date and the teacher’s name. Fill both in on the maker to print them typed.
⬇ Download PDFEvery idea below prints from the maker with the costume already drawn on the turkey, so the turkey is ready to color. Under each one: how to build the same disguise with things you already have at home.
Cover the body with aluminum foil, draw the control-panel buttons with a marker and bend a pipe cleaner into the antenna. A circle cut from a clear plastic lid makes a visor you can see through.
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Color the coat tan or black and glue strips of yellow paper or reflective tape across it. Color the helmet red and write the station number on the badge.
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Cut the skirt from wrapping paper or a fabric scrap, glue sequins or plastic gems on the crown and use hole-punch dots or tiny beads for the necklace.
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Cut the cape from felt or a paper bag and color the mask to match. The maker puts your child’s first initial on the chest emblem.
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Cotton balls make the beard, the hat brim and the pompom. Color the coat red and the belt black, and add a yellow or gold buckle.
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Paint the round costume orange with darker ribs, then add a green paper leaf and a curly pipe-cleaner vine on the stem hat.
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Color the jersey in a favorite team’s colors and write the player’s number big on the chest. Strips of tape make the helmet stripe.
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Color the shirt in red and white stripes, cut the eye patch from black felt and use a piece of yarn for the strap.
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Cotton balls or a cupcake liner make a puffy hat, a scrap of fabric makes the apron, and a paper spoon can go in the pocket.
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Glue strands of rainbow yarn for the mane, wrap the horn in gold paper or glitter glue and add star stickers to the body.
Print this disguise →These start from the blank template (with or without feathers) and need nothing you would have to buy. Grouped by how much help a child usually needs, so a preschooler and a fifth grader can both find one they can make mostly on their own.
Plan on two short sessions: one evening to choose the disguise and color, a second to glue the materials once the crayon or paint is dry. Glue sticks hold paper; cotton balls, yarn and fabric need white school glue and an hour flat to dry.
The teacher sends home a blank turkey, usually in early November, with a note that goes something like this: the turkey does not want to be eaten on Thanksgiving, so please help your child disguise it so nobody can find it. The family decides what the turkey becomes, the child does as much of the coloring, cutting and gluing as they can, and the finished turkey goes back to school by the date on the note to be shared with the class.
Put the details after a # in the address and this page opens with the worksheet already filled in — handy for a class newsletter, a bookmark or a link from a chat assistant. The part after # stays in your browser; it is never sent to our server.
Parameters
#costume= the disguise: astronaut, firefighter, princess, superhero, santa, pumpkin, football, pirate, chef, unicorn#name= the child’s name#style= feathers or body (turkey without tail feathers)#mark= the number or letter on the badge, jersey or emblemCombine several with & (for example #title=…&words=…).
Examples
A classic November assignment in preschool and elementary school. Each child brings home a blank turkey and, with the family, dresses it up as something else so the turkey can “hide” and avoid ending up as Thanksgiving dinner. The turkeys come back to class by a set date, usually with a sentence or a short paragraph about the disguise, and the class shares them.
Pick something the turkey could pretend to be (an astronaut, a pumpkin, a favorite animal), color the turkey and add materials from home on top: paper scraps, cotton balls, yarn, fabric, buttons, foil or feathers. Finish with the sentence “My turkey is disguised as …”. If you are short on time, choose a disguise in the maker above, print it and let your child color it and glue on two or three real materials.
For preschoolers: a disguise from the maker printed ready to color, plus cotton balls or stickers glued on with a grown-up’s help. For kindergarten to 2nd grade: the blank template, a costume they choose themselves and the writing page to finish the sentences on handwriting lines. For grades 3 to 5: an original idea (a favorite book character, a job, a food), mixed materials and a short story on the back about how the turkey escapes.
Yes. The turkey body template has no tail feathers, so you can glue on real feathers, the paper feathers from the feather template, or a costume that covers the turkey’s back. Both print on one US Letter page.
No. The maker draws the pages in your browser; the name, the due date and everything else you type stay on your device and are never sent to a server. There is no account, no watermark and no fee.