Flannel Friday 9/23 Round-up!

It's time for the round-up! Woo hoo!!

Here we go:

First off, Keith from Felt-tastic Flannelboard Funtine has an amazing step-by-step tutorial on how to make kawaii flannels - or any flannels for that matter! The purple alpaca is adorable. Check it out!

Wendy at Flannelboard Fun keeps the cuteness level at super-high with her Little Miss Muffet. The ottoman is adorable! (Sorry, the tuffet!)

Kate at Feltboard Magic is ringing in fall with Five Little Autumn Leaves in a Tall Tall Tree. Is fall cloudy or windy by you? Then use the adorable (and super simple to recreate) Five Little Clouds. And finally, if you are already looking forward to the holiday season, check out The Lights on the Tree which is fancy and super festive.

Finally, Amy at Catch the Possibilities is hosting a guest post with extension activities for Put Me in the Zoo. Great fine motor skill development and a fun spotted dog make for a perfect storytime art project.

And that's all we got, folks! Thanks to everyone for participating.

Go out and flannel! (or is it, stay in and flannel?) Regardless, enjoy the inspiration!

Happy Flanneling!

You can find out more about Flannel Friday on the blog or on the Facebook page. 

Flannel Friday Round-up (8/19)

Welcome to the August 19th Round-up!

Mr. Keith, from Felt-tastic Flannelboard Funtime has an adorable version of the classic apple rhyme - plus a bonus adorable cat. (Everything's better with a cat, amirite, cat people?)

Kate, from Feltboard Magic, has lovely varied weather set to use with "What's the Weather?" I love the rain and snow drops on little strings. Not sure how the song goes? Jbrary will sing it for you!

Finally, Wendy from Flannelboard fun has two sets for us this week: a lovely multicultural construction set (including vehicles, bricks, and cones!) and some super-festive Christmas trees to start the holiday celebrations.

Thanks to everyone for participating! You can find out more about Flannel Friday on the Facebook page or by following the blog.

Happy flanneling!

Flannel Friday Roundup: May 27th

Alright, folks, it's time for the round-up!

First off, we have Wendy at Flannelboard fun with a flannel version of Bark, George. I love this story - I now have a new way to tell it!

Mr. Keith at Felt-tastic Flannelboard Funtime has a cupcake with attitude called Patty LeCake and not only is she adorable, but she teaches the letter of the week with a rhyme that is familiar to many people already. Hooray for Patty!

Jessica at Storytime in the Stacks has a great rhyme about five little babies and (for the clickbait version): you won't believe what happens at the end! I totally laughed!

Kate at Feltboard Magic has two interactive sets: five kites that teach numbers and color sorting and clouds that teach number sorting. I'm super jealous of her cute letters and numbers. (Maybe she'll share her secret with us....?)

Laura at Literacious has colorful butterflies ready for their color recognition rhyme. Bonus points for being nice and easy to make. 

And that's all for this week! Thanks to everyone for participating. Find out more about Flannel Friday on Facebook or at their blog. Have a great weekend!

Flannel Friday: Tails Chasing Tails

For this flannel, I used Matthew Porter's simple and lovely board book: Tails Chasing Tails. 

I made each of the animals from the book and then cut them in half (which, even though necessary, was still a little heartbreaking, honestly). 

The book starts with the elephant chasing the tiger: 

When the kids have guessed who that tail belongs to, I add the head: 

Here are the other animals chasing/being chased: 

And it ends with the mouse chasing a gray tail... 

Which brings the whole thing full circle. You could also choose to make the elephant a whole animal and end with the mouse. 

I used this with both toddlers and preschoolers and they seemed to enjoy it equally; some of the tails are easy and some are challenging enough to make it an interesting concept for both these groups. 

Flannel Friday is being hosted by Emily at Literary Hoots so stop on over there to see other flannels shared this week. 

Flannel Friday: Dr. Seuss

I used these flannels in March for Dr. Seuss's birthday, but am just getting around to posting it now. Which means you have lots of time to make it for next year! Or you could, you know, use it not on Dr. Seuss's birthday. (Whaaaa....?)

These are different kinds of flannels for me in that I usually use the flannel in place of the book, but in these cases, I read the book while using the flannel simultaneously (except for the balloon one).

First up: I wish that I had Duck Feet. 

The character in this story wishes for a variety of animal parts (duck feet, a long long tail, antlers, a long nose) before deciding that he's happy just being himself. Here's my blank character. 

And here he is in all his glory. 

It's a cute story, even though it's a little long. I often cut a page from the description of every animal part because I tend to be reading to preschoolers. They find this one very funny and can usually supply the last word of the story ("ME!"), which I always find endearing. 

I like to read A Great Day for Up, too, and though I don't have a flannel for it per se, I do have a balloon race as an extension activity. 

I made six balloons that start at the bottom of my flannelboard. 

I originally made a colored cube from a kleenex box, but when that one got crushed (PSA: make sure you stuff your kleenex box with newspaper before making it into a thing the kids will be handling) I miraculously received a donation of this amazing soft cube: 

I then give the children a chance to roll the cube and move the corresponding balloon up the flannelboard. Whichever balloon makes it to the top of the flannelboard first wins! 

Finally, I do the classic: Green Eggs and Ham. 

I made pieces for all the repeated words.  

   

 

I put the pieces up as they come up in the story and then I stop saying the words altogether and simply point to each piece as the children shout it out. They are usually familiar with this story, and I find that using the flannels makes it new again.

This week's Flannel Friday is being hosted by Ms. Kelly at the Library. Make sure you check it out for more flannel ideas!

Flannel Friday: Five Monkeys and the Crocodile

I was putting together a blog post of sure-fire-never-fail books that I use in Storytimes and beyond, and I ran across this flannelboard that I made nine years ago - my first flannel ever, in fact! And not only has it stood the test of time, but it's definitely a sure-fire-never-fail-will-get-everyone-involved-and-excited flannel.

And here it is.

The five little monkeys....

... and the crocodile. 

There are several versions out there (and when I originally did this one, I had the crocodile burp out the monkeys, but now I just go for it with the snapping and the chomping), but this is the one I use: 

Five little monkeys swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile "you can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Crocodile, quiet as can be
And he SNAPPED that monkey right out of that tree!

Keep going till you have no monkeys left. I always ask the kids how many monkeys we have after each verse and when we have no more (they either say zero or I supply the word when they say "none!" - yay vocabulary building), I say "well then I guess we'll have to do something else!" And we do.

I've occasionally used the monkeys without the crocodile to do the monkeys on the bed rhyme, but I find it far less fun. This is also a great transition rhyme between Caps for Sale (it has monkeys) and Snip Snap, What's That? (it has a crocodile).

Happy Friday!

Flannel Friday Round-up!

Welcome, welcome, everyone! It's FLANNEL TIME!! (in my mind, that sounds like Sandra Boynton's Pajama Time!)

Kathryn has an inspired post for Mole's New Hole, a story by Linda Meuse. Cuteness, cumulative storytelling, and a pattern. I wonder if this sort of design/flannel engineering would work for the classic Pooh story...

Inspiration comes full circle, as Bonnie has a firetruck post inspired by Kathryn! Her colored firetrucks provide an interactive portion to storytime - something we all know the kids love.

For those of you doing back to school storytimes, or those just looking for a fun "five little",  Miss Jaime has five little school buses just ready for making.

We wrap up with Storytime Katie who has two posts for us! The first is a flannel version of the plant cycle - great for preschool STEAM. And the second is an adorable set of flower finger puppets.

Thanks to everyone for participating!

Happy flanneling!

To learn more about Flannel Friday, find them on Facebook or on the blog.

Flannel Friday: Lisa Can't Sleep!

This is a story I've been telling for years and it's always a hit; I use it with my toddlers and my preschoolers and for family bedtime storytime. It pretty much never fails me. 

I tried to find the original book, but I made this flannel while at another library and I didn't write down the source (bad librarian! No biscuit!). I'm guessing it's this one: 

And the good news is: you can buy a hardcover copy from a used bookseller for $223.20! What a deal! (Update! The book is now listed at $222.64 so get your copy today!)

Ok, so maybe the book isn't around anymore. But maybe you have it in your collection! And either way, the story is worth telling, I promise. 

It starts with Lisa going to bed. She pulls the covers up and puts her head down. But Lisa can't sleep so she calls out "MOOOO-OOOMMMM!! I need my bear!" So Mom brings Lisa's bear. 

Lisa grabs her bear, pulls her covers up and puts her head down. But Lisa can't sleep ... she wants her doll. 

Then she wants her dog...

And so on and so forth until she's got her bear, her doll, her dog, her sheep, her cat, her bunny, her duck, her lion, and her ball. 

But there's still a problem. Lisa calls her mom one last time and says "There's no room in the bed for me!" So Mom takes everything back except the teddy bear. Lisa hugs it tight, pulls her covers up, and goes to sleep. 

A few quick notes on the telling. These things work for me, but lord knows we all have different styles and methods and there are far far better storytellers out there, so feel free to make it your own.  

• I mime the pulling up of the covers each time and make sure my hands go higher and higher as the number of things in the bed increases.
• When I say "put her head down", I put my hands together and put my head on them. You know, the bedtime/sleep motion. I then lower my head and my hands together just a little bit before opening my eyes with a gasp before saying "But Lisa couldn't sleep!". I always put my head to the right when I do this. When Lisa finally does go to sleep, I put my hands and tilt my head to the left.
• I've alternated the object that Lisa first wants between the doll and the bear. Sometimes I'm feeling doll, and sometimes bear. Bear makes the most sense when I'm using it with a stuffed animal sleepover, but it can go either way.
• Speaking of which, another great benefit is that this story is as long or as short as you need. The lion and the ball may not make an appearance with the wiggly toddlers, but the kindergartners are usually willing to go along for all of Lisa's whims.
• Really milk the "MOOOOO-OOOOM!!!!" I even cup my hands around my mouth when calling out. It's everyone's favorite part. 

This week's Flannel Friday is hosted by Kathryn. For more information about Flannel Friday, visit the blog or check out Pinterest.

Flannel Friday Round-up!

Are you planning your fall storytimes? Well, strap yourself in because this week's round-up is going to make at least one of those storytimes a breeze. Ready? Ok, here we go.

First off, we have Danielle at Library Danielle who has ducks, frogs, and a lovely flannel to go along with Little White Duck. (Why do good books go out of print? This is the question we all ask ourselves when we see a super-cute flannel that we now want to make...)

Mel, over at Mel's Desk also has ponds on the brain with a flannel about a lily pond. The tune is familiar, and I do love reversible flannel pieces, I do, I do.

Kathryn, from Fun with Friends at Storytime, has some colorful ducks for a fun "what's missing?" game - always a good time with the kids - and bonus! a paper plate duck that's simple and adorable. Perfect storytime craft.

Speaking of games, Lindsey from Jbrary has a version of the Little Mouse game with ladybugs and fancy fringed rugs (could her next career be as a decorator...?) and an easy and helpful early literacy tip to boot.

And just like that: your fall "Pond" storytime is planned. Thank goodness for Flannel Friday!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Learn more about Flannel Friday at our Facebook Page or on the blog.

Flannel Friday 6/19 Round-up!

Kathryn at Fun with Friends at Storytime has an adorable red wagon storytime with rhyming objects and a Little Mouse-type game... good stuff! And check out the photo of the stuffed polar bear with the wagon; super cute!

Nikki at Hey There Library has some amazing speckled frogs (caution: the song may be stuck in your head for several hours)(but these frogs are worth it). 

Danielle at Stories with Library Danielle did a fun clapping/stomping storytime that included a flannel of "Who said Moo?". See also: the fun shaky eggs song she used. 

Katie at Storytime Katie has some brightly colored cars with numbers that not only work for a flannel, but are sturdy enough for the kids to play with afterward. 

In my blog readings, I also came across Lisa's superhero felt table and I just had to include it here because 1) awesome and 2) summer reading!

Thanks to everyone for participating! Happy flanneling!

Flannel Friday: The Goat in the Turnips

I made this flannel some time ago and I can't remember where I got the original story. If anyone knows, please tell me! 

Once there was a little boy who was taking care of a goat. The naughty goat gets into the turnip patch and won't come out. 

A dog comes to help, but he can't get the goat out either. Neither can the fox. 

Not even the big bear can manage it!

Nope, it is the smallest of all, the bee, who stings the goat and the goat comes running out of the turnip patch. 

Which goes to show you: sometimes it's the smallest one who can do the biggest thing. 

I add some drama to it (every time someone fails to get the goat out, they all sit down and cry big boo hoo hoos, which always makes the children laugh) and every animal has some dialogue about how big and strong they are and therefore cannot fail. They, of course, mock the tiny bee before he proves himself. 

This is also a flannel where I cut out the outlines in felt and did all of the details in puff paint. I've been there, adding tiny dot eyes after having done all the other puff paint and praying that I don't screw it up now! Don't talk to me about living on the edge!

Flannel Friday: How Will We Get to the Beach?

Here's a fun guessing game just ready for summer based on How Will We Get to the Beach? by Brigitte Luciani.

I actually only have the Spanish version of this at my library and I loved that the character's name was Rosana, so I keep that even though I tell the story in English. If you prefer, you can go with Roxanne, as per the English version. 

Also, I called the little baby Baby George. (Although maybe I should switch to Baby Charlotte...?)

At any rate. Back to the story. 

Rosana wants to go to the beach. Here are the things she wants to take with her: her umbrella, her big purple ball, her turtle, her big story book, and her little Baby George. 

But when they get in the car to go to the beach, the car won't start! So she tries to go on a bike.

But there's something that doesn't fit on the bike. Do you know what it is?

The big purple ball!

So she tries to go by skateboard...

But something won't fit on the skateboard! Do you know what it is?

The umbrella!

So she tries a bus...

... which doesn't allow animals. 

And a canoe...

...but the book would get wet. 

And a hot air balloon...

... but that's too scary for Baby George. 

So she finally loads everything onto a cart and the friendly horse pulls the cart all the way to the beach where they have a marvelous time.  

I tested this story out in Preschool Story Time yesterday and the kids were very good at guessing which piece was missing without even checking my hands to see if they could see what I was still holding. 

This could possibly pair with The Rattletrap Car and could work for a transportation storytime or a summer storytime. 

Flannel Friday: Seven Blind Mice

This flannel is inspired by Ed Young's Seven Blind Mice.

First, the mice:

Then the elephant as the mice perceive him. I put up each piece as each mouse investigates, but here's what he looks like when six of the mice have gone.  

Side note: When I tell the story while reading the book, I use the cliff piece you see above. When I just tell the story by myself, I prefer the wall for the body. I feel it's more recognizable, but who knows? Maybe I'm just fooling myself. 

After the seventh mouse investigates, he comes back and says "Yes, it's strong like a pillar and wide like a cliff (wall) and long like a rope and moves like a snake....." etc. I replace each piece one at a time with the elephant pieces so the kids can see it coming together. Here he is mid replacement: 

And the elephant all put together. 

Here are the separate pieces of the elephant. I usually go in this order (to make it easier to replace the pieces and also to keep the elephant not quite so obvious till the end): legs, body, tail, tusk, ear, head. (Of course, if I'm reading the book then I just go with what the book says). 

It's served me well just as a fun story, but also for my Preschool Lab on the senses. Only drawback is that you can't repeat this story too often because your kiddos will remember what the mysterious thing actually is and will not hesitate to blurt it out. Spoiler alert, anyone?

Flannel Friday: 3/13 Round-up!

What a great start to Flannel Friday's fifth year! Here are some fun, inspiring, and adorable flannels for your enjoyment.

Kathryn from Fun with Friends at Storytime has a chicken and egg storytime that's perfect for Easter - or any time you want to talk about hatching!

Miss Sue at Library Village has a whole round-up of her own: all spring and Easter flannels to inspire you.

Brenda at Story Tree has a quick and fabulous game to play with shapes and dogs or bunnies for a Lost and Found theme. Need a flannel in a hurry? This one's a sure-fire hit.

Thrive After Three has an amazing felt table with a road, cars, and some amazing community buildings (car wash and gas station for the win!!). It's really making me wish I had a felt table, too.

Kim from Destination Stoytime has a hot air balloon game that's just itching to be played.

How fast can you flannel? Well, double that speed because Roving Fiddlehead Kidlit has a Saint Patrick's Day flannel that you will definitely want to use this year. Rainbow stew? Leprechauns? Yes, please!

Katie at Story Time Secrets flannelized a book about a bouncing bunny and his adventures. Fun for both the bouncing and the animal noises.

We should all be so lucky as to have Katie's talent! Over at Storytime Katie you can see her amazing ballerinas complete with tutus and toe shoes with ribbon.

Heather from Books and Giggles has the cutest weather doll - complete with template  and tutorial! - for helping her kids decide what to wear in the morning. Let's hear it for autonomy without power struggles! I'm definitely making one of these for my son.

Sandy at Storytime Sparks has beautiful felt flowers and rhymes to go with them. Come on and get here, Spring! I want to use these rhymes!

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful work.

For more info about Flannel Friday, check out the Facebook page, the official blog, or find them on Pinterest. Happy flanneling!

Flannel Friday: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I know this is a classic and that everyone probably already has a flannel version of this, but I really love telling this story with a flannelboard, so here is my version.

I made all the pieces which, while time consuming, was not impossible.

When I gauge that I have the right crowd, I hand out the pieces of what he ate to various kids and call them up to the flannelboard at the appropriate times. ("He ate FOUR STRAWBERRIES! Who has four strawberries?")

The kids love the part where he becomes a big fat caterpillar, and the butterfly always gets some "ooooohs".

While I'm on this, though, does it bother anyone else that the butterfly comes out of a cocoon? I always want to say chrysalis at that point...

Flannel Friday: Bear's Picture

This flannel story is loosely based on Frank Asch's Bread and Honey, but I have changed it a little bit to make it a more dramatic flannelboard. (See notes at the end). 

One day at school, Bear painted a picture of his mother. He gave her a nice round bear face, a short bear neck, two little bear eyes, some friendly bear eyes, a little bear nose, and a sweet bear smile. (I put on the pieces as I say each piece). 

He was so proud of his picture that he decided to take it home to show his mother.

On the way home, he ran in to his friend Giraffe. He showed him the picture of his mother and Giraffe said "It's nice, but don't you think the nose is a little small?" Little Bear looked. "I guess I can give her a longer neck," So Little Bear painted on a longer neck.

"How's that?" He asked. "It's perfect," Giraffe replied. And Little Bear kept walking.

He runs into several animal friends on the way who all suggest changes that Little Bear dutifully follows. (The conversation is the same as above, except, obviously, for the specific body part). 

Owl thinks the eyes are too small. 

Rabbit thinks the ears are too small. 

Alligator thinks the mouth is too small. 

Lion thinks it needs a mane. 

And Elephant thinks the nose is too small.  

Once Little Bear gets the picture home, he shows his mother by saying "Look, Mom, I drew a picture of you!" And Momma Bear looks at it and says "It's perfect."

"Just as it is?" Asks Little Bear. "Just as it is," says his mother.

And that's the story of why, if you go to the bear's house, you will see this picture on their refrigerator.

Notes on the telling:

- I changed the order of the animals from the book's version because I wanted the changes to go from more subtle (the neck, the eyes) to the ridiculous (the nose, the mane). It's also easier to put the ears before the mane and the mouth before the nose so I don't have to switch those parts later on.

- I put a clean paintbrush with this set and when I tell it on my flannel board on wheels, I spin the board towards me, "paint" on the changes, and then swing it back so kids can see it. Ta DA!

- Sometimes, with younger kids especially, I make Little Bear roll up his picture (roll my arms) and then unroll his picture (a hand motion that looks like unrolling a scroll) each time. This keeps the ones who need action a little more engaged. I find it's unnecessary with the kindergarten classes (who, by the way, are hysterical by the time I'm done changing Bear's picture).

- I am lucky in that I have stuffed animals in my collection that match all the animals that Little Bear meets. I put them in a big bag and pull them out one by one. I've found that some kids will start to guess what the animal wants changed, so I say "It's nice, but......." and pause to let them guess what the animal is going to say.

And yes, I find I have choked up more than once on the "perfect just as it is" part, especially when looking down into all the lovely faces of my kids. Power through, people, power through.

And Happy Friday!