Numbers in Nature

This is a beautiful picture book that we used with all ages in Storytime. It has large beautiful pictures with minimal text. It features on two separate pages pictures of sea stars. It was the perfect chance to use my 10 Starfish flannel pieces and the matching game I mentioned in another post, HERE.









We played a matching game with a lot of talking about the colors and shapes of the different starfish. I printed Google images of real starfish and glued them to a piece of colored paper or construction paper and then laminated them.   I showed the large picture and added it to the flannelboard (velcro on back) and the kiddos would bring their matching picture and I tucked it behind the large picture on the flannelboard. This turned out to be a LOT of fun and very interesting to see that there are so many different starfish in the sea! LOL! Nature is so much Fun with Friends at Storytime!

There are more great posts on the Flannel Friday Roundup. Check out the wonderful resources on the Flannel Friday Pinterest Boards. Here's the link for the official Flannel Friday blog for more info!

Buzzzzing Beezzzzz!

Hooray, the bees are buzzing around the flowers now!! Pollen is flying in the air and everything is yellow! I've got a couple of ideas for a Bee theme for Storytime. I love the classic fingerplays, 'Two Big Beehives' and 'Here is the Beehive'. They are so much fun for buzzing and tickling! Then there are a couple of flannelboard rhymes that I like to use too. You can use 'Five Little Bees' with the flowers from last week's Flower post or make a hive to use with the rhyme. I posted a fun bee story HERE. Be sure to click on the titles of the rhymes for a printable docx of each one.

 As you can see, I have 2 different kinds of bees. I do have 5 of each, I just didn't get them in the picture. The set on the left is out of paper using a diecut. The set on the right is colored pellon. The hive is made of felt with some glittery fabric paint for detail. Bug stickers are a great giveaway at the end of the storytime. I had yellow bee bodies cut out of yellow construction paper with the white tissue paper wings and black markers for the kiddos to make their own bees for a fun Home Extension. Bees are always a lot of Fun with Friends at Storytime!

There are more great posts on the Flannel Friday Roundup. Check out the wonderful resources on the Flannel Friday Pinterest Boards. Here's the link for the official Flannel Friday blog for more info!

Flowers Make a Rainbow

I'm so happy that the daffodils and hyacinth are blooming here!!  I couldn't resist this adorable flower rhyme. I've had it a long time and used it several ways. I made a new set of flowers to go with it and am sharing with everyone in time for springtime flower storytimes!! Here's a link for a printable copy of 'Flowers Make a Rainbow'. I used my Sizzix flower diecut and 2 shades of each color to make my newest flower set. You can't tell it but there are two shades of yellow on the yellow flowers. Anyway, you can do the rhyme and put up the flowers then talk about the colors and the concept of 'more than'. If you have a fairly small group you can hand out the flowers and let the kiddos bring up the color as you say the rhyme. This is a more tactile way to get the concept of  'more' as they help make the rows of colors. There are lots of ways to use these flowers! There's always so much Fun with Friends at Storytime in the spring!!

There are more great posts on the Flannel Friday Roundup. Check out the wonderful resources on the Flannel Friday Pinterest Boards. Here's the link for the official Flannel Friday blog for more info!

Sheep, Sheep everywhere!

One of my earliest posts for Flannel Friday was 'Five White and Fluffy Sheep'. In it I mentioned a post I had seen @MissMaryLiberry of her colored, numbered sheep she had made for Counting Ovejas by Sarah Weeks. I had made a set myself but I can't find them??!! So I've made another set of colored sheep. I'm not going to add numbers to mine so that I can use them with other rhymes too.  I'm thinking since there are 10 of them they would lend themselves to the easy '1 little, 2 little ...' rhyme and then to a fun game of 'Which One's Missing?'. You know this could also be a verse of an Old McRainbow song too! (sing it slowly and have your sheep stacked in order) Check out my other Old McRainbow post HERE.

Old McRainbow had a farm, eieio!
and on his farm he had some sheep! eieio!
Red, brown, green, yellow, purple, pink
blue, black, white and turquoise
Old McRainbow had a farm, eieio!

These were quick and easy to cut out by stacking a couple of colors and cutting two at a time (I staple them together) I had these done in no time!

You'll recognize the sheep from the craft on my post, HERE. I just tweaked the pattern a little, added google eyes and black slick fabric paint for the nose. I think they are adorable!  Baaaa! Sheep are a lot of Fun with Friends at Storytime! There are more great posts on the Flannel Friday Roundup. Check out the wonderful resources on the Flannel Friday Pinterest Boards. Here's the link for the official Flannel Friday blog for more info!

Presents!! Happy 5th Birthday, Flannel Friday!

♫ Happy Birthday to Flannel Friday! ♫   I'm sharing a couple of ideas in honor of this momentous occasion!! The first is an inspired flannel set that I tweaked from In The Children's Room blog. I added 2 more boxes to have 5 presents. We all know that 5 is the magic preschool number! LOL!  Here's a link for the rhyme that you can print out Presents! 

I have a small piece of velcro at the top of each 'present' so that each one will stay in place as I 'unwrap' the paper from the biggest to the smallest to the heart. All the ribbon embellishments are glued on with fabric glue. This set lends itself to sequencing from biggest to smallest or counting to 5 or recognizing colors. You could play, Which one is Missing? with these also. I have a couple of other birthday posts too, HERE!

I also have a file folder set that I made this week that could be used 'as is' or with a bunch of cutout felt 'presents' for the kiddos to bring to the flannel board as you show the file folder colors. I have a diecut that I use for all of the little presents. I just chant the little rhyme and change the colors as the kiddos bring the matching felt presents to the board. They never get tired of this activity! Here's a link to a printable copy.

Oh Happy Day, Happy Birthday to me!

Red is the birthday present I see!

(kiddos bring up the presents and I change the color and repeat the line for the new color)

Hooray, Hooray, Happy Birthday to me!

There are so many colorful presents I see!

I added sequins to the file folder before I laminated it. I also laminated a piece of birthday present wrapping paper that I cut to fit the folder. I have it in place when I start the rhyme and then start changing the colors. I used variegated yarn and cut two small slits and tied the bows for the presents. I took this picture before I finished tying the gazillion bows! LOL! I made 6 of each color because I want to be sure to always have enough for storytime kiddos!! Birthdays are so much Fun with Friends at Storytime! There are more great posts on the Flannel Friday Roundup. Check out the wonderful resources on the Flannel Friday Pinterest Boards. Here's the link for the official Flannel Friday blog for more info!