Simple Toilet Paper Roll Pilgrims and A Story of the First Thanksgiving

I have one more Thanksgiving book and craft to share with you today. This one is about the pilgrims, and I’ve made simple toilet paper roll pilgrims to go with it.

 

Easy toilet paper roll pilgrim craft simple enough for a preschool or kindergarten Thanksgiving activity.




(Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)

Finding a Thanksgiving Story

I wanted to find a story about the first Thanksgiving to read with my kindergartners. It was hard to find the right balance of historical accuracy and inviting story for this age group. I think The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving (affiliate) by Ann McGovern does a creditable job. It relates the big picture in an engaging way, with a focus on the pilgrim children.

 

Making a Pilgrim Craft

My pilgrim craft is more about simplicity than authenticity. I tried to keep it basic enough that a preschooler could paint and assemble it with help.
Easy toilet paper roll pilgrim craft simple enough for a preschool or kindergarten Thanksgiving activity.

Materials Needed
  • 2 toilet paper rolls
  • 1 – 3 oz. plastic bathroom cup
  • Black acrylic paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Smock or Paint shirt
  • Newspaper to cover work area
  • Paper: white, yellow, peach, brown
  • Scissors
  • Googly eyes (optional)
  • Colored pencils for face features
  • Glue
Instructions
1. Paint toilet paper rolls and plastic cup completely black.
2. Cut out face, collar, hat band, and hat buckle.
3. For the hair, cut a strip to go around the tube plus a separate piece for the front (See photo).
Easy toilet paper roll pilgrim craft simple enough for a preschool or kindergarten Thanksgiving activity.

4. Glue googly eyes onto face, and draw on mouth and nose.

5. Once black paint has dried, glue on paper pieces.
6. For the woman’s hat, you can make a tiny version based on this pilgrim hat tutorial.

 

 

This post is part of the Kids Are Thankful blog hop. A group of creative bloggers have teamed up to share kids’ Thanksgiving books along with activities to go with them.  Go have a look at all of them!

 

 

10 Comments

  1. There are adorable and would me such a cute decoration on your dinner table for Thanksgiving!

  2. Do you have templates for these? I will be having seniors make them and need templates for them to follow.

    Thanks

    1. How fun to hear of my craft getting made by seniors! I’m sorry, I didn’t make a template. It was pretty easy to just cut as I went, though. I don’t think it would take you long to make your own.

  3. I love these, I am making them with my kindergarteners. I am going to try one thing different. I took a headshot picture of each of my kids and I am printing it small. I will use their face for the face of teh pilgrim.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.