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This project makes a wonderful annual tradition that your family can really grow into.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
- Flowerpot
- Art sand (sold at craft supply stores)
- Bare tree branch
- Colored craft foam
- Scissors
- Permanent marker
- Large ornament hanger or straightened paper clip
1. Fill a flowerpot with sand and set in a shapely bare tree branch.
2. Next, cut a pile of leaf shapes from colored craft foam.
3. As your guests arrive, have them take a leaf and, with a permanent marker, write their name and the date on one side and something they're grateful for on the other.
4. To decorate your tree, push a large ornament hanger or straightened paper clip through the stem of each leaf and hang it in place.
Stamped with potato-print acorns and leaves, these linens lend a child's imprint to an autumn table or a holiday feast.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
- Potatoes
- X-Acto knife
- White cloth napkins and table runner
- Paper plate
- Yellow and orange acrylic paints
 1. To make the leaf, cut a potato in half lengthwise (a parent's job). Using an X-Acto knife, cut three wedges out of each side of the potato and a stem at the bottom. Cut veins out of the leaf's center.
2. For the acorn, cut a piece of a potato into a 1-inch square, round the edges leaving a stem, and cut a line that separates the top one third from the bottom two thirds.
3. Lay the napkins and runner flat. Pour a few nearly overlapping lines of orange and yellow paint onto a paper plate.
4. Press each potato stencil into the paints, then press onto the fabric. Continue until you've finished your pattern. Let dry at least overnight, then put in a hot dryer for about 30 minutes (this sets the paint so it's machine-washable).
This unusual table centerpiece is ephemeral -- but it's beautiful while it lasts.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
- Large Rome Beauty apples (that will stand straight on the table)
- Candles
- Waxed paper
- Potato peeler
- Lemon juice
1. Using an apple corer, make a hole about halfway through the middle of an apple. Make the hole as straight as possible and remove the core piece.
2. Insert a candle into the hole. It should fit tightly; if the hole is too large, wrap waxed paper around the candle's end.
3. Older kids can decorate the apples by carefully carving designs in the skins with the tip of a potato peeler (to prevent the designs from turning brown, rub them with lemon juice).
4. Arrange the candleholders in a circle on a plate or cutting board
At the first Thanksgiving, turkey was actually a side dish, taking second billing to venison. But set this pretty bird center table and it's guaranteed to steal the show.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
- Gourd
- Round toothpicks
- Pumpkin
- Red chili pepper
- Orange rind
- Cloves
- Corn husks or tamale wrappers
- Tempera paints
- Pair of red gloves
1. To create the turkey's face, push a few toothpicks halfway into one side of the gourd, then attach it to the pumpkin by pushing the protruding toothpick ends through the pumpkin shell. Use the same method to attach the chili-pepper wattle.
2. For eyes, use two orange-rind circles. Push a clove through the center of each one and into the gourd.
3. Next, tint the corn husk feathers by dipping them into diluted tempera paints (2 parts water to 1 part paint) and attach them to the pumpkin with toothpicks.
4. Set the completed pumpkin atop the red gloves so that the fingers resemble turkey feet.
These miniature clay vessels, filled with a tasty cargo of nuts and dried berries, make the perfect favors for young dinner guests.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
- Polymer clay
- Wooden toothpick
- Paper plate
- Pushpin
- Paper cupcake liners
- Nuts and dried berries
1. For each boat, use 1/3 of a block of polymer clay (Sculpey III or Fimo works well) to form a rectangular pinch pot and then shape one end into a pointed bow.
2. Stick a tiny ball of clay to the center of the boat's floor. Push one end of a wooden toothpick into the clay ball for a mast.
3. Bake the molded clay according to the directions on the package. When the clay has cooled, cut a four-sided sail from a paper plate. With a pushpin, pierce holes through the top and bottom of the sail and slip it onto the mast.
4. Place a cupcake liner inside the hull before filling it with a sweet and crunchy treat.
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