Tot Tip Tuesday- Thanksgiving Books, Buns, and Baking

Books, Buns, and Baking top our list for fun things to do with the kiddos this week.

Best Turkey Books

First off books. We love reading with/to our kids but sometime the same old books get pretty old. Enter, holidays and the perfect reason to change books and have fun with the holidays. Here are a few of our favorites that are somewhat silly and perfect for the season. While we read all of these stories to our toddlers (we simply tell the story and point out pictures with the ones with more words and a deeper story). We have broken it down to ages we feel they would fit best if you are looking for that type of thing.

Age 5 and Under

10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston and Illustrated by Rich Deas

*Bright pictures, simply rhymes. 10 fat turkeys falling off the fence one by one.

The Turkey Ball by David Steinburg

*A simple rhyme book telling of turkeys getting dressed up for a ball, dancing, and trotting home come morning.

Count Your Blessings by Patricia Reeder Eubank (Lift the Flap and "find it" Book)

*Darling illustrations of Mom, Dad, brother, and sister bear, their home, and life in the forest. Each page talks about what they are grateful for and asks you to find different things in the picture.

Age 6 and Up

A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman Illustrated by Jeff Shelly

*All the Turkeys have fled the town to avoid being dinner. One turkey falls for the plan to be a turkey model, and gets away in the nick of time leaving the townspeople to eat only veggies and wheat for Thanksgiving.

A Turkey For Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting

*Mr. and Mrs Moose host Thanksgiving for their animal friends. Mrs. Moose wants a turkey for dinner so Mr. Moose and friends set out to find one. He ends up being a guest at dinner rather than the main course. (This is my 3 year olds favorite.)

T'was the Night Before Thanksgiving By Dav Pilkey

*Set to the Twas the Night Before Christmas Poem the story tells of children on a field trip to a turkey farm. Upon learning about what happens to the Turkeys before Thanksgiving each child smuggles a Turkey onto the bus and back home to be a Thanksgiving guest.

Funny Educational

You Wouldn't Want To Be An American Colonist by Jacqueline Morley

*With funny pictures and witty one liners this book tells children the ins and outs of what it would have really been like to be an American Colonist.

Turkey Baby Buns

If you have been on Pinterest you have seen some form of the turkey bottom onesie. We opted for sheer simplicity because frankly who has time for some of this crazy business. We used a white onesie and some orange/copper ribbon and a glue gun. Cut a few ribbons to a similar length place it where you'd like and glue it on. Insta turkey tush. It will pull at the Grandparents heartstrings, and have everyone saying, "ahhh". We used a stamp pad and ink to add the gobble but you could easily leave that plain.

Baking with the Babes

Roll out sugar cookies. Yes, it will be a mess. Most likely a big one. But, when you tell yourself that going in and you'll make it back out. Think of the memories. Kids LOVE these. Use your go to sugar cookie recipe or if you don't have one you love grab a package of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix. You just add egg and butter. There is a variation recipe on the back for rollout cookies that is perfect.

Best part about these is they ARE NOT turkeys. Hit IKEA for these forest animal cookie cutters. They are cute and cheap and if your kids love animals as much as ours do they will love stamping out cookies shaped as moose, porcupines, squirrels, foxes, and bears.

Frost and decorate as you wish. I think I'm still picking up pieces of dough and flour. Oops. :)