by Laura Falin posted in Life & Home

I know it seems like one more thing to worry about on a busy day, but I really love having a kids' craft on-hand for Thanksgiving. Here's why:
When you have extended family over for Thanksgiving, with people who don't see your kids very often, it's a great icebreaker. It gives people who don't have much experience with kids something to do with them. It keeps the kids occupied. And it's a way they can contribute to the dinner, too.

These are fun on so many levels. It was last Thanksgiving, actually, that my entire family became addicted to adult coloring books. We sat around for four days coloring and coloring. Family bonding, man.
Supplies:

adult coloring books or pages (you can find a bunch online you can print out for free) gel pens, colored pencils, or other pens to color with
construction paper
glue
scissors

Instructions:
Begin with some adult (or kid!) coloring pages and have everyone spend a little time coloring together (also, it's totally worth it to splurge on gel pens -- they are so fun to use).

Once you have some coloring pages filled in, draw a leaf on a blank piece of construction paper. It doesn't have to be perfect...in fact, you can have the kids freehand draw their own leaves. Or if leaves haven't fallen yet where you are, you can find a leaf outside to trace. Cut your leaf out and use it to trace around part of your coloring page.

Cut out your coloring page in the shape of the leaf. Then cut a small piece of con...