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Community Corner

Get Creative This Thanksgiving Holiday

These kid-friendly activities make great gifts and family traditions and you may even have most or all of the needed items already at home.

Thanksgiving time is filled with travel, visits with family and friends and excitement as it kicks off the holiday season. Whether you are traveling and need a hostess gift or are looking for a creative table centerpiece for your own dinner, don't overlook the craftiness of your own kids. They are home from school, most likely bored and would probably have a great time doing some of these activities. Who knows, maybe they will turn into family Thanksgiving traditions.

Baking is a great winter activity and doing it for Thanksgiving is perfect because you can make a lot in little time. Using this recipe and some fun cookie cutters allows the kids to help decorate shaped cookies that do not spread out or look weird after cutting and baking them. Other than the huge amount of butter required for this recipe, most houses probably have all of the ingredients needed for them as well.

Royal icing is easy to make and is just powdered sugar, egg whites and a bit of lemon juice. Kids can sit and decorate cookies all day with this recipe. Outline the cookies and let this dry first to prevent run off and let one color fully dry before decorating on top of it unless you want a tie die look on your cookies. Watch the video instructions and read the details with the recipe above for some fool proof tips. Trust me, it works in my house so it will work in yours.

Making a lantern like in the picture is easy and fun for the kids as well and it uses the same cookie dough.

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Measure out a 5 inch square on a piece of paper and cut it out. Use this as a template for your dough and make 4. Use a cookie cutter in the center so you have a square with a shaped hole in the center. Bake them this way and when they are cooked, you can make a Thanksgiving lantern to place a candle in for the dinner table.

If you would like to add color to your cut out windows, simply take the cookies out of the oven half way trough baking. Sprinkle mashed up Lifesaver candies in the center and put them back in the oven for the remainder of the cooking time. The candies will melt and create a stained glass effect.

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Be sure to cook these cookies on parchment paper and let  them cool completely before you remove them from the paper to avoid breaks.

Cake Pops are another easy and fun activity for kids. Guests will love them and they are just as easy to transport as cookies for those holiday hostess gifts.

Bakerella has some adorable and very easy designs. The turkey done for this article picture was made by my 9-year-old daughter as an example. They are not at all time consuming and are fun to do. If you need to buy supplies at , be sure to print your coupon here or install the application on your smart phone so you can show the cashier your mobile coupon.

If you are not into baking, but still want the kids to make a gift suitable for giving this Thanksgiving, they can make aprons. sells the old fashion potato sack dish towels. You can get these at many stores with or without designs. Even the holiday ones in the dollar spot section at would be cute. Stitch by hand or machine some ribbon across it length-wise. Add flowers, buttons, embroidery or whatever the kids want to do to decorate it. This makes a perfect waist apron.

Younger kids can make crafts out of construction paper, leaves, paint or whatever you have laying around the house. Everyone loves the innocence and love put into a homemade gift from a child. Search the web for activities for you age child. For example, type in "Thanksgiving craft first grade" in your search engine. The choices will be endless and many are absolutely adorable.

Because the kids are off from school and it is just before the December holidays, this is the best time to have the kids clean out their rooms and donate to charity. It makes room for new toys and gives the kids a chance to send their toys that they no longer love to a child who will.

Thanksgiving is a prefect week to start new traditions with your kids in the kitchen. They love to bake and by using these recipes, their creations are sure to turn out gift worthy.

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