Submitted by Amy Kirchoff, Phoenix, Arizona
Idea posted January 8, 2003
My kids (all ages) love this game. They want to play it all year.
We sing the song Five Fat Turkeys while we play (Five Smart Turkeys is available from Music K-8, Vol. 7, No. 2). One person is the cook and sits with their back to the rest of the class. The teacher (or former cook) walks around the room handing out five jingle bells (or any other small object). When the song is over, the cook may turn around and get five guesses. If he catches a turkey (guesses someone with the bell), they go into the oven (under a table in my room). If the cook does not catch any turkeys, s/he goes into the oven. A new cook is chosen and the game continues.
There are many variations of the game depending on grade level, class size, etc. Sometimes the people with the bells jingle them before the cook turns around to give them an idea. Sometimes we have only three fat turkeys, etc.