Exemplary Turkeys

I went to Jack's class to throw a second grade harvest party, and at his teacher's request, I prepped an activity. I chose one that's always a hit with my kids: making turkey hats. 

But of course the whole thing was a cluster fuck. 

In between meeting with students anxious about their upcoming research papers, I spent my office hours cutting out templates for the body, feathers, beak, and wattle and putting them in individual baggies along with small squares of red and orange paper for the wattle and beak and black and white paper to make eyes. I figured I would get to school a few minutes early and use the paper cutter to slice some bright colored paper into smaller pieces so the kids could have an easier time cutting out feathers, but first,  I should quarter some brown paper and put in the template bags, so they could cut out turkey bodies. And that's when I discovered that the construction paper I bought had no brown. What the hell? Isn't that a standard color? I ended up having to go to the teacher supply store for freaking brown paper.  

And? Remember the Rice Krispie turkey legs I stayed up late among? Nobody cared about them because parents sent in a bunch of store bought cookies and a cookie cake. Which is why we have a TREAT SIGN UP.  

Anyway, the hat above? Ben stapled to my head while I hid from the babies in the laundry room and readied the last of my supplies. The kids kept calling it the example turkey, which is still cracking me up. 

They turkey hats were such a hit that while Jack was at practice, the rest of the kids made them, too. 

I am actually going to be really sad when we don't need example turkeys anymore.