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Disguise a Turkey Project: A Parent's Guide
The disguise a turkey project is a November take-home assignment, mostly in Pre-K to third grade: a child gets a paper turkey and has to dress it up as something else so it will not be picked for Thanksgiving dinner, then writes a sentence or paragraph explaining the disguise. It needs a printed turkey, glue, and whatever is in the house, and two or three short evenings are plenty.
What teachers usually expect
The note that comes home is the rulebook, so read it first. Wording differs from class to class, but most notes ask for the same few things:
- The turkey is disguised, not replaced. The outline should still be there under the costume. Some teachers ask that the page is not cut at all.
- The child does the work. Family help is welcome and often the point ("a family project"), but the cutting, gluing and colouring should look like a child did it.
- There is a writing piece. Usually "My turkey is disguised as ___ because ___." Older classes write a persuasive paragraph in the turkey's voice.
- It has a due date before the holiday week, and the turkeys go on a hallway display. Flat projects survive the display better than 3-D ones.
Many classes read the picture book Turkey Trouble first, in which a turkey tries a series of farm-animal costumes. If your child mentions it, an animal disguise fits the lesson nicely.
Supply checklist
| Have this | Why | If you do not |
|---|---|---|
| A printed turkey on cardstock | Holds glue and heavier pieces | Print on plain paper and glue it to a cereal-box panel. Free outlines here. |
| Glue stick and white school glue | Stick for paper, white glue for cotton, foil, fabric and buttons | Double-sided tape works for flat pieces |
| Crayons or markers | Colouring the feathers is half the disguise | Coloured pencils, or paper scraps glued on |
| Scissors | Costume pieces | Tear the paper; torn edges look good on fur, snow and flames |
| One "texture" material | Makes it look finished | Cotton balls, foil, coffee filters, yarn, tissue or a paper bag all count |
| A pencil | The writing line | - |
Nothing on that list needs a trip to the shop. The ideas page lists the exact supplies for 81 disguises, so you can pick one that matches your drawers.
A three-evening plan
| When | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Evening 1 | 10 minutes | Read the teacher's note together. Let your child pick two or three ideas, then check the supplies and choose one. Print the turkey. |
| Evening 2 | 30-45 minutes | Colour the feathers and body first. Cut the big costume pieces and glue them on. Leave it flat to dry overnight. |
| Evening 3 | 15-20 minutes | Add small details and the one texture material. Do the writing page. Put it in a folder or a large envelope. |
Only one evening left? Choose from the fastest ideas, use crayons only, and do the writing while the glue dries.
What to aim for at each grade
| Grade | The disguise | The writing | How much to help |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-K and K | One idea, one material. Snowman, sheep, pumpkin, rainbow. | Child says the sentence, adult writes it, child traces or signs. | Adult cuts, child glues and colours. |
| 1st-2nd | A hat plus a prop: Santa, firefighter, pirate, princess, chef. | One or two sentences: what it is and why it will work. | Child cuts the big shapes; adult handles tiny ones and white glue. |
| 3rd-5th | Mixed materials and details: astronaut, knight, robot, football player. | A persuasive paragraph or letter in the turkey's voice with two or three reasons. | Child plans and builds; adult supplies materials and holds things while glue sets. |
Free writing pages
One PDF, three pages, pick the one for your grade: a sentence starter with a drawing box (Pre-K to 1st), a short paragraph page (2nd-3rd), and a persuasive letter page, "Dear Farmer", with a reasons planner (4th-5th).
Sentence starters
- My turkey is disguised as a ______ because ______.
- No one will find my turkey because ______.
- Do not eat me! I am not a turkey, I am a ______.
- If the farmer comes, my turkey will ______.
For a persuasive paragraph
- Claim: I am clearly a ______, not a turkey.
- Reason 1: Look at my ______. Turkeys do not have those.
- Reason 2: I have an important job to do: ______.
- Other idea: You should eat ______ instead, because ______.
- Ending: So please ______. Sincerely, ______.
Getting it to school in one piece
- Let white glue dry flat for a full hour before moving the page.
- Carry it in a folder, a large envelope or between two pieces of cardboard held with a rubber band.
- Tape, do not glue, anything that sticks out (wands, flags, hockey sticks), and send a spare piece of tape.
- Put the child's name on the back as well as the front; display boards cover the front line.
- Take a photo before it leaves the house. Displays are often up until December.
Questions parents ask
- How long does the disguise a turkey project take?
- Between 20 minutes for a crayons-only idea and about an hour and a half for a detailed one, spread over two or three evenings so glue can dry.
- We lost the turkey the school sent home. What now?
- Print a replacement from the free outlines and tell the teacher. Most are happy with any turkey outline of roughly the same size.
- Can my child use a favourite character?
- For a school project a hand-made tribute to a favourite character is normal. This site only provides generic costumes, so start from the closest one (superhero, princess, singer) and let your child add the details.
- What if my child wants to change the idea halfway?
- Print two turkeys at the start. A second blank outline costs one sheet of paper and saves an argument.
- Is there a quick way to see what a costume could look like?
- Yes. Type the costume into the costume finder. It shows a checked coloring-page picture of that costume, or of the closest one we have, which you can use as a guide for your own version.
This guide describes how the project commonly runs; your teacher's instructions come first. Last updated 2026-11-14.