Thanksgiving STEM: Circuit Turkeys

Feel like you can’t face another hand print turkey this Thanksgiving?  Try a different Thanksgiving STEM activity with the kiddos this year! I love these adorable light-up turkeys made with a very simple circuit of a battery and bulbs and soft and fluffy pom poms.  This post contains affiliate links.

Kids can make this fun light up Thanksgiving turkeys and learn the power of STEM. Perfect for the classroom or the kids' table on Thanksgiving day.

 

Kids can make this fun light up Thanksgiving turkeys and learn the power of STEM. Perfect for the classroom or the kids' table on Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving STEM Circuit Turkeys – Supplies Needed (1 set per turkey)

Turkey-Circuit-Supplies

 

Build your Thanksgiving STEM Circuit Turkey Tail:

Safety Note: Please keep coin cell batteries away from children who still put things in their mouth. They are extremely hazardous if swallowed.

Grab your battery and find the positive side.  Place your LEDs with the long contact on the plus side of the battery and fan them out like a turkey tail.  Secure them with the circle stickers. If you’re having trouble keeping the lights shining bright, you can try using duct tape or using fewer LEDs.

Make-the-Turkey-Tail

Build your Thanksgiving STEM Turkey

First cut out a triangle shaped beak out of orange felt and a waddle out of red felt.  Then glue your googly eyes, beak and waddle to your pom pom.

Next, make your turkey feet out of an orange pipe cleaner.  Simply bend back and forth to form the toes and glue to the bottom of the pom pom.

Make-Turkey

Attach the Tail to the Turkey

Glue the back of the decorated pom pom to one side of the circuit turkey tail.  The hardest part of this project is making this turkey stand, so I added an L shaped pipe cleaner stand to the back behind the battery.

light-up-thanksgiving-turkey2

Isn’t it cute?  I’m such a sucker for pom pom animals :)

Circuit-Turkey-Angled-Left-Brain-Craft-Brain3

More Thanksgiving STEAM

Hands-on Thanksgiving science, tech, engineering, art, and math activities that will make kids hungry to learn. The new Thanksgiving STEAM Ebook is filled with fun activities for the holiday!

You get 10 amazing ready-for you right now activities in this ebook:

  • 4 hands-on STEAM projects with easy to follow instructions
  • 4 Thanksgiving printables for early finishers or quick learning sessions
  • 2 delicious recipes kids can make with science learning built in
  • What’s the STEAM Behind It? background learning
  • Answer keys
  • Supply list

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