Giraffe wants a Snack!

 You know there aren't a lot of flannel rhymes about just giraffes and I wanted one so, I wrote one! LOL! I really didn't want to make 5 or 10 giraffes so my rhyme is about one giraffe that eats 10 leaves! How easy is that?! Here's the link for my rhyme: 'Giraffe Has a Snack'. As I count the leaves for the giraffe to eat them, I can take them off; or the kiddos can help if the group is small.

I used Google images for ideas for my tree and giraffe. For some reason the giraffe looks yellow but it is really a tan color. I used a googly eye and some black fabric paint for the mouth, nose and tops of the little horns. I couldn't resist a little glitter glue for the vein on my leaves. Giraffes are so much Fun with Friends at Storytime! 

There are more great ideas 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!

Happy Hippos

We recently got this new juvenile nonfiction book at our library. It has great pictures and the text lends itself to condensing or telling so I tested it on my preschool grandsons. Big Hit!! So....one thing led to another and I made up a couple of hippo rhymes and made a set of 5 hippos and we are ready for Happy Hippos at Storytime! Hippos are terrifying in real life but adorable in animation or illustrations in picture books. You know, there are a lot of pictures books that feature adorable illustrations of animals that are really not so nice in real life!! Anyway, I found a Google image that I tweaked a little and used some black slick fabric paint and little google eyes for my set of hippos. I remove one at a time as I do the rhyme and I put up the folded 'river' after the last hippo is gone. Then I unfold the river to show the 5 cool hippos swimming in the water! Makes me smile!

5 Hungry Hippos

Kathryn Roach

5 hungry hippos eating grass by the shore.

One went swimming in the river and that left 4.

4 hot hippos under a shady tree,

another went swimming and that left 3.

3 grazing hippos, found some grass to chew

another went swimming and that left 2.

2 hot, cranky hippos want to get out of the sun

one went swimming and that left 1.

1 lonely hippo needs the others for some fun!

He went swimming and now there are none...

But wait!...

Look in the river, what do we see?

5 cool hippos now happy as can be!!

 

The book, All God's Critters by Bill Staines features illustrations of the funniest hippo ever! Hippos can be 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. If you want more info about Flannel Friday here's the link for the official Flannel Friday blog. 

Lions...Oh My!

I realized this week that I don't have many flannelboard sets for a Zoo or Safari theme. I found a cute 5 Ferocious Lions rhyme at Read, Sarah, Read.  I had made a cute lion hand puppet for my grandson that I decided to use as a pattern for my lions. I used a 9x12 sheet of felt for 2 puppets.I cut the sheet in half so that I had 2 pieces 6x9. I cut those in half so that I ended up with 4 pieces 3x4 1/2.  I used my scrap bag for all the features and large google eyes and some string that I used black shoe polish on! The little circle 'cheeks' are from a sizzix diecut that I have and use a LOT!  I glued all the features with tacky glue. Black slick fabric paint 'glued' the whiskers. After the glue dried I hot glued the front to the back along the edge. 
These probably cost me about $3.50. I've made puppy handpuppets for one of the grandson's goody bags for his puppy birthday party.  Easy peasy.  I'm thinking any finger puppet pattern would probably enlarge easily for these small puppets.

 

I will use these on the flannelboard with the rhyme. If my group is small enough I can let the children hold a puppet as I say the rhyme. Lions are a lot of Fun with Friends at Storytime!

Check out this week's Flannel Friday roundup at Stories with Ms Jenna.

Have questions about Flannel Friday? Check out the Flannel Friday official blog.  Be sure to  join us on the Flannel Friday Facebook page and enjoy the great Flannel Friday Pinterest boards too!