The cornucopia or “horn of plenty” is a very common symbol used for Thanksgiving tables. Until a few minutes ago, I had no idea that the cornucopia is from an ancient Greek myth, or that the original cornucopias were curved goat’s horns.
I only knew that they are fun addition to the Thanksgiving table, a nice reminder of our blessings, and that I wanted to share a few ways for your children to craft some.
One of the easiest ways to create a horn of plenty is to use ice cream cones. The children can fill them with candy corn, fruit shaped “Runts” candy, popcorn, or grapes. Fruit shaped cereal is fun to put in these, too. These are so easy to make that the children could make one for every place at the table. You can even write messages or your guests’ names or initials on the cones with icing.
Paper horns are almost as easy to make. Take a paper plate or brown piece of paper and roll it into a cone shape. Use staples or tape to secure the paper. The kids can decorate these with crayons or markers then fill with candy, treats, or paper cut outs. Flowers work nicely in these, too.
Cornucopias can also be made from any kind of clay, be it homemade, air dry, or polymer. Even play-dough will work if you are willing to sacrifice some to getting all dried out. The fun thing about using clay is that you can use more clay to make fruits or vegetables to fit inside your horn. Or you can use the clay to form names or messages. I’ve found that shaping a horn out of foil helps the children form the shape with clay. The foil also helps the cornucopia retain its shape while drying or cooking if the clay is polymer and has to go in the oven.
Also See:
Easy Napkin Rings for the Thanksgiving Table