Corn Husk dolls are a fun activity for all those kids at your Thanksgiving gathering.  They are a bit tricky to explain, but once you do one, they get easier and my 7 yo can make them without too much difficulty. The fun part comes with the dressing of them and making their faces, and then of course playing with their new friends when they are finished.

You will need dried corn husks. Don’t worry, you don’t need to dry your own, but I suppose you could if you had time.  I got ours at our local grocery store in the Mexican food isle. They come in a bag and you will get more than enough to last quite a while. I believe they are used for making tamales. 



Since they are dry you will need to soak them to make the pliable.  About 10 minutes should suffice.  You may need to hold them down, use something to hold them down, or turn every few minutes as they seem to float.  I put a towel on the table to catch the excess water. 

Peel the corn husks apart so that you have one good full piece without any tears in it.  With pointed end positioned up, fold the top down (about and inch or so).  Then fold both sides in toward the middle.  Turn your corn husk over.  The top part will be the head. 



Take a fairly long piece of string and tie it around the middle about an inch from the top. Tie it good and tight. 



Next take another piece of corn husk and roll it up. This will make the arms. You will trim the arms to desires size after you have it tied on. Now I just wrap the string around the body, behind the arms, criss crossing it until you have it on good and tight. Make sure to not cut your string just yet.




Next take another corn husk and with the point facing downward place it below the tie.  The husk will cover the face of your doll. Tie this one good and tight, wrap it around the back, tie into a know and trim the ends.  Turn your doll over and pull the top husk down. It will make a skirt for your doll. 





To make a boy, cut the husk up the middle and tie off the legs down at the ankles. 

I then give my kids a bunch of fabric scraps and markers (permanent works best, use with supervision).  They draw the faces on them and dress them up. They cut the scraps and wrap it around the front for a skirt. They make shawls and little bonnets.  I give them lots of string, ribbon and glue for this. 

Have fun making your corn husk dolls.  If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Here is a website for some very cool, and slightly more complicated corn husk dolls. 
www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/dollinst.html

Susan

Susan Dusseault is in her 5th year of homeschooling her three daughters.  She and her husband have been married for 11 years and reside in the  Pacific Northwest.  Susan loves all things crafty and is passing this love along to her daughters.  Visit her blog Ladies in Training.

Related Tags: Thanksgiving, craft, cornhusk, cornhusk doll, pilgrims, indians