Who are these kids and why am I holding a hot glue gun?

Before I helped serve the holiday feast in my daughter's classroom today, I was one of only two parents helping out with the holiday crafts in MiniMe's classroom. I showed up just as crafts were getting underway and with 5 different holiday craft "stations" and 26 kids, it was a little like a zoo. The teacher said "Thank goodness you're here!" and practically flung me into a room where 5 fourth grade boys were covered up to their elbows in paint. She shoved the hot glue gun into my hand and said "Can you take over this station so I can help with the other stations?"

Before I had time to answer she was gone and I was left holding a hot glue gun with 5 messy boys looking up at me expectantly. I began to examine all the wooden pieces and parts and finally figured out what craft I was now in charge of. A wooden turkey craft. See MiniMe's completed craft below.





There were several wooden pieces that had to be painted. Then the pieces would need to be glued together. Googly eyes and a foam beak would then be attached (again with hot glue) and finally they would write their names and the year on the back and move on to the next station. Here were some of my challenges:

• If the painted pieces were not dry enough, the hot glue would slide right off and nothing would stick together.


• The kids would come through in groups of five and I had only about 10 minutes to coordinate giving each the correct pieces, instructions and hot glue everything together.


• I had to keep the three different colors of paint stocked, cut out foam beaks, help clean up paint spills, wipe clothes and hands and actually complete the craft in only 10 minutes.


• The boys invariably wanted to paint their turkeys "blood red" to signify bleeding turkeys.


• The boys wanted to use only one big giant googly eye to make "Cyclop" turkeys.


• The girls were so meticulous and perfectionist that they couldn't get finished neatly and creatively painting in time for their projects to dry and me to get all the little parts glued.


• The girls wanted to use the "strings" from the glue gun to make "hair" for their turkeys.


• Both boys and girls wanted to paint themselves or their friends instead of the turkey craft.

I finally managed to get all 26 turkey crafts completed and clean up. It was only then that I realized I'd done the craft wrong. Seems I glued the head and body together backward so the turkeys wouldn't actually stand up on their own. Oh well, slap a magnet on the back and you've got a cheeky holiday refrigerator magnet for mom and dad!