Issue 21 • November 13, 2024

Turkey Carving is an activity I remember from my own fifth-grade experience. Just before Thanksgiving, my teacher handed each of us a graham cracker and challenged us to carve it into a turkey silhouette—using only our teeth!

It was a unique and tricky challenge. Many classmates needed a second cracker, either because the first one broke or they ended up nibbling too much off.

Once time was up, each student placed their carved cracker creation on the overhead projector. Most of our "turkeys" looked more like abstract art than actual birds, but that made it even more fun. It was hands-down one of my favorite fifth-grade memories.

You may not have an overhead projector, but you can still give this activity a try. You could turn off the overhead lights and use a flashlight to cast shadows on the wall. Or, take photos of the “carvings” and apply a filter to make them look like silhouettes!

Rapid Recaps 🎬

Kids look pretty goofy while carving graham crackers with their teeth. How about documenting the silly experience with a video? The last time I got to do the Turkey Carving activity was in 2018 with my 5th grade class. Check out the video I made with the Quik app on my phone.

You can also put together a quick video using Canva Magic Design for Video. Note that Magic Design requires a Canva Education or Pro account. When you start a blank video project, you’ll see a large "Generate videos instantly" button in the sidebar. Click it to get started.

Upload up to 10 photos and videos and type a short description (less than 100 characters) like, “Students carve turkey silhouette from graham cracker with teeth.” Then, Canva’s AI generates a draft of your video for you, complete with onscreen text, transitions, and music. From there, you can use Canva’s editing tools to make any adjustments.

Here is a link to the 24 second video that Magic Design drafted for me. The music’s tone doesn’t quite match the content, but I can easily swap it for something more upbeat to capture the silliness of carving graham crackers with teeth.

The text also doesn’t stay on screen long enough to read fully. I can either shorten the text or extend its duration setting. In fact, much of the AI-generated text can be removed entirely—for instance, it added a note about learning the history of Thanksgiving, which wasn’t part of our activity.

Despite its flaws, I appreciate that Magic Design for Video gave me a head start on creating my short video.

Canva makes it easy to get a link to the video or download it as an MP4 file. If you plan to show the video outside the classroom, be sure you have the necessary permissions and releases.

Turkey Transformations 🦃

After carving their graham crackers, students can insert a photo of their handiwork into Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Canva. Students then add elements to dress their turkeys. Perhaps they dress the turkey as a favorite book character, as a historical figure, as a community helper, or in a disguise.

Emoji Escapades 🤣

Emoji Kitchen lets you create fun and expressive emoji mashups! Mix and match emojis to create unique combinations of your favorites.

Just open the Emoji Kitchen webpage, then select or search for emojis to see them creatively fused into new images.

Keep in mind, not all emojis are available in Emoji Kitchen. For this time of year, try mixing a leaf, a plate, a drumstick, an ear of corn, or a potato!

Slide Starters 🚥

Google Slides has a brand new Template button in the toolbar.

According to Google, this feature lets you "quickly create professional, polished presentations with a new collection of high-quality, customizable templates."

Currently, there are fewer than 30 templates available—and honestly, they're just okay. In comparison, Canva offers hundreds of templates that I think look better.

Google’s blog hints that more template options for Google Slides are coming in the months ahead.

Breakout Buffet 🍽️

If you or your students are into digital breakouts, check out the Gobble Gobble Breakout by Peggy Reimers.

A digital breakout is an online activity where students solve a series of puzzles and challenges to unlock a final solution, similar to a real-world escape room. It's a fun way to reinforce content knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Peggy created her breakout in Google Sites. The webpage has lots of information about American Thanksgiving. The page also contains a Google Form that cannot be submitted until the correct answers are submitted.

If you get stuck with any of the locks or want hints, Peggy lists her email at the bottom of the page.

Tic-Tac Tales 👨‍💻

I made something in Google Sites, and it is not a digital breakout—it’s an interactive math game. It’s called Tic Tac 15, and I modeled it after a game I used to play on a Palm Pilot.

Tic Tac 15 is a twist on Tic Tac Toe. Two players take turns placing an unknown number on the board. The goal is to be the first to get three numbers in a row that add up to 15. It's a great way to practice addition and strategic thinking.

I prompted the Claude AI chatbot to write HTML code for the game (but Gemini, ChatGPT, or Copilot would also write code for me). I embedded the HTML generated with Claude into a Google Site. It took some trial and error, but I do have a playable version.

As a finishing touch, I prompted Ideogram AI to generate a cool logo that I placed at the top of the page.

As you carve out time for creativity this season, I hope this newsletter offers you some fun and useful ideas. If you find value in these tips, I’d be grateful if you encourage others to subscribe. 😊

Grateful smiles from Iowa,

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