A turkey disguise letter to parents you can send today

Six details prevent most of the questions: the due date, what comes home, what materials are allowed, how much help is appropriate, whether the project needs writing, and how the finished page should be returned. Add a sentence about original costumes if your school avoids trademarked characters. Add a sentence about 3D pieces if you want a flat page for a bulletin board. Keep the tone friendly. Families are being asked to do a craft project on a school schedule, and a clear note respects their time.

Replace the bracketed parts and send. The letter is plain text, so it can go into an email, a newsletter or a printed handout without reformatting.

Dear Families,

Our class is starting the Turkey Disguise Project. Each student will receive a paper turkey outline. The job is to disguise the turkey so it does not look like Thanksgiving dinner, then write a short explanation of the disguise.

What comes home: one turkey template and one writing page.
Due date: [date].
Materials: paper, markers, crayons, a glue stick, tape and small craft scraps from home. Please do not buy anything new.

Rules:
- Keep the turkey's eyes and beak visible.
- The idea and most of the work should be your child's. Adults may help with printing, cutting and glue.
- Use an original costume rather than a trademarked character. If a favorite character inspires the design, change the colors and details.
- Keep the page flat enough to fit in a folder. Small 3D pieces are fine if they survive the trip to school.

Writing: 3 to 5 sentences explaining why the turkey chose this disguise and how it helps. First person is welcome: "I am disguised as a chef because a turkey that can cook is too useful to eat."

Return: the finished page and the writing in the folder by [date]. We will display the pages in the hallway and celebrate the disguises on the day they are due.

Thank you for helping your child plan, cut and imagine.

Sincerely,
[Teacher name]
[Room number or contact]

If the first letter is already out and you need a nudge, send this: "A reminder that the Turkey Disguise Project is due [date]. Please send the turkey page and the writing back in the folder. Keep the eyes and beak visible, and let your child make the big choices. Materials from home are enough; there is no need to buy anything." Two sentences, one due date, no new rules. Short reminders get read.

For kindergarten, ask for one to three sentences and offer to pre-cut the big shapes. For first and second grade, ask for three to five sentences and let the child cut the main pieces. For third grade and up, add a persuasive or narrative option: the turkey writes a letter arguing for its life, or tells the story of its escape. If your class has a no-trademark rule, say so in the letter rather than correcting costumes after they arrive. If you want a flat bulletin board, ask for paper only; if you welcome 3D, say which pieces are allowed.

For email, put the project name and due date in the subject line: "Turkey Disguise Project, due November 20." Paste the letter into the body instead of attaching a file; more families will read it on a phone. If you attach the template, send it as a PDF so the proportions do not shift. For paper, print the letter on the same sheet as the turkey outline, or staple the note to the front of the folder. A half-sheet reminder taped inside the folder is easier to find than a full page.

Two rules cause the most confusion. The first is characters: many schools ask for original work, but families see character costumes online and assume they are allowed. Say it plainly in the letter and offer the workaround: use the idea, change the colors and details. The second is help: parents want to know whether they are allowed to cut, glue or draw. Set the line at printing, cutting and glue, with the idea and the writing belonging to the child. That gives families permission to help without taking over.

A class print costs 1 credit — 1 class set for $3.99 or 3 for $7.99, paid once with no subscription — and includes an editable parent letter that prints with the class set, so the teacher's name, due date and rules travel with the assignment. Pasting a class list prints a whole class in one go. A teacher can copy the letter above and print single pages free; the credit pack is for the week when the whole class needs the same note and a different turkey.