Monster Mash!

Lisa at Thrive After Three inspired me to share my monster 'stuff' this week. There are several great Flannel Friday posts on the Pinterest boards too.  Here's my inspiration for today's not-a-flannel prop and rhyme; Lucy at In The Children's Room. I loved the rhyme, but I wanted to use it more interactively. I laminated Google images of the food items and hand them out to the children. As I say the rhyme the children holding the items bring them up and 'feed' them to the monster.  Everyone loves this one!

A Munching Monster
by Marian Swinger

A Monster ate a monster lunch,
a monster pie,
a monster *punch
a monster apple,
a monster plum,
the monster filled his monster tum.
He licked a monster lollipop
He drank a bottle of monster pop.
He chomped a monster chocolate cake
...and got a Monster stomach ache!
* adaptation by Lucy

My Monster is poster board with card stock embellishments and the whole thing was laminated.  His arms and legs are velcroed to the back of the Monster so that I can take them off and store them more easily.  I velcroed the big round body/head to a box that I lined with black paper.  I usually make 4 of each item just to be sure I have enough for everyone.



Here's another Monster to go with this fun theme!

I have 2 sets of felt pieces for Go Away Big Green Monster.  I made my sets a long time ago but I found several on the Flannel Friday Pinterest boards. The first set I use as I read the book.  The other set, with the individual hair and teeth pieces, is for the children to help me build a Big Green Monster as I read the book.  I will let the kiddos play with that set too.  We love to say "GO AWAY Big Green Monster!!" Check out this youtube animation of the book.

We usually sing Laurie Berkner's great song, Monster Boogie too. I found a cute youtube version here.Monsters are soooo much Fun with Friends at Storytime!

An Apple a day...is delicious!

Fall is almost here so naturally I think of apples!  There are several posts on Flannel Friday Pinterest boards for apples.  Here's one  from K. Leigh @ Storytime ABC's that inspired me to make my own set.
This is a cute version of BINGO for apples.

I also like to sing the song, Farmer Brown Had Five Green Apples.  I found various versions including Ella Jenkins' version that is Farmer Brown Had 10 Green Apples.  Here's another youtube version of the song with red apples.  Here's another link with the words and a sample of the music. My favorite version is Sharon, Lois and Bram on Mainly Mother Goose here.

I made up a rhyme a few years ago that is a counting by 2's:
I Like Apples
by Kathryn Roach
I like apples crisp and sweet
Apples are my favorite fruit to eat!
2 red apples, I want more.
Add 2 green apples, now I have 4.
2 red, 2 green, now I'll add to the mix,
2 yellow apples; wow!, that makes 6.
Yes, I like apples crisp and sweet.
Apples are my favorite fruit to eat!

These felt apples are Ellison diecuts with extra pieces cut and glued on for the stem and leaves.

Here's another tweak to a classic:
Five Little Apples - 
Chant to 'Five Little Monkeys'
*Five little apples hanging in a tree,
Teasing Mr. Slinky worm, "Can't eat me",
Along come Mr. Slinky worm quiet as can be...
CRUNCH!
* 4, 3, 2, 1...
No little apples hanging in a tree.
Along came Mr. Slinky worm as quiet as can be...
His tummy is full and he's happy as can be.
Yum! Apples for lunch!

I have 5 felt apples on the board and let Mr. Slinky worm gobble up an apple each time I say the rhyme. The children think it's hilarious.

Here  is the hand puppet that I made a few years ago for a puppet skit (I can't even remember what it was?).  Anyway, I used 2 brown pieces and 2 green pieces of felt and sewed the front green piece to the front brown piece and then sewed the front to the back. The two branches are made so that my thumb and pinky can fit in them and move them.  The apples and mouth are velcroed on and the google eyes are hotglued. I usually use this puppet during a song or rhyme during this theme. Also, I use the handpuppet to wave goodbye during my ending song; Skinnamarink.

There are soooo many apple posts on blogs, but for newbie storytellers here are a few links.  Try this Pinterest board for some ideas. Here's a post from Mollie @ What Happens in Storytime.  Here's another from Anne @ So Tomorrow that's really cute too. One last link from Katie @Story Time Secrets!
Apples are so Fun and Delicious and Nutritious with Friends at Storytime!

Flip Flap Jack

Flip Flap Jack is another version of the fun song, Aiken Drum.  Also, if you teach preschool and use Handwriting Without Tears you might like Flip Flap Jack as another version of Mat Man! The rhyme/song and pattern is in Ready to Go Storytimes: Fingerplays, Scripts, Patterns, Music and More by Gail Benton and Trisha Waichulaitis. Just Google Flip Flap Jack and you'll find words and a couple of ways to either, sing or chant the rhyme.  Here's my version of Flip Flap Jack with added glitter and fabric paint. I think he's adorable ... mmmmmm and DELICIOUS! 

His head was a pancake...

His body was a waffle...his bellybutton was a raspberry!

his legs were bacon...his feet were French toast (with 'brown sugar glitter')

and his name was Flip Flap Jack!

I also found a fun song to sing on an older CD, Ralph's World. It's the Name Song!  Check out this youtube video of the song. So much silly fun.  We're having Fun with Friends at Storytime.

Flannel Friday Roundup August

I hope everyone has had a great summer! Summer Reading is finished and we can prepare for back to school, fall and the big holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. In some ways this time of year feels like New Years. The children are starting a new grade and you can feel the excitement of new possibilities and challenges as they come into the library or you see them buying school supplies in the store. I love it!  That's how I feel on Fridays when I see the post that the weekly Flannel Friday Roundup is ready. So...here's this week's collection of Fun for your Storytime. Enjoy!

Miss Tara @ Storytime with Miss Tara and Friends has two posts for us this week. She has a wonderful storytime with props about alligators. Her Alpha-gator is Adorable! She also has a simply super, stunning post about ...Socks!  This is just an abundance of cuteness!

Lisa from Libraryland is sharing an app for ...Sock Puppets!  (great minds must think alike - see Miss Tara's post about socks). This looks like a lot of fun!

Lisa from Thrive After Three shares a Marvelous Monster post!  I am totally in love with these monsters!

Miss Sue @ Let the Wild Rumpus Start shares a cute felt board kit for use with three different nursery rhymes.  Sheep feature in all three rhymes. What a great idea!

Oohhhh! Creepy Carrots are ... hilarious! Andrea at Roving Fiddlehead is guest hosting Karen's cute, carrot rhyme this week.  Don't be scared...take a peek!

Jane at Piper Loves the Library has posted a tribute to summer with art from the kids at the library. Jane, enjoy your rest after the busy summer!

My post this week is for cat lovers.  My Ten Little Kitties make me happy!

Next week, Lisa @ Story Time With the Library Lady will be the host. Have a great weekend everyone!

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

D is for Dinosaurs!!  Rawrrrrrr!

Here Kitty Kitty!

Cats...you either LOVE them or NOT. As Amy Farrah Fowler told Sheldon, "I love cats. They're the epitome of indifference." (Big Bang)  Well, I love these cats!  I was inspired partly by this post by Nikarella @ narrating tales of preschool storytime. We are planning a cat themed storytime for this fall and I wanted something new. Of course, I turned to Flannel Friday Pinterest boards and was not disappointed!  One idea led to another until I came up with a new set of kitties and rhyme.   I tweaked my 10 Circus Seals rhyme and ...voilà... Ten Kitty Cats.  

Ten Kitty Cats
by Kathryn Roach

Ten kitty cats ready for a trick. 
Which color ball will each one pick? 
Let's match them up one by one.
Kitty cats are so much fun!

(put cats on board, count to 10, Hold up and name each color ball and put it on the same color cat on the board)

Ten kitty cats ready to rest.
They have the color ball that they like the best.
We matched them up one by one.
Kitty cats are so much fun!

I found a Google image that I deconstructed for my pattern. I changed the nose and used google eyes and slick black and white fabric paint for the details. I couldn't resist adding sequins and glitter to the balls for the kitties. I'm having such Fun with Friends and cats at Storytime!

Calling All Firetrucks!

I'm still in the fall mode for planning and remembered that October is Fire Safety month. When I taught preschool the firefighters would bring the firetruck to our school. Most of my 3 year olds loved it.   My grandson, J. loved firetrucks when he was 2 and 3 years old.  He fixated on Firefighters! Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell, when he was about that age and we read it a LOT! Another great firefighter book is Firefighters A to Z by Chris A. Demarest.  Check out this link for the National Fire Prevention Association here.  I decided to make a rhyme/activity with a firetruck Ellison diecut.  I embellished the diecut a little by adding either yellow or lt. blue to the window opening and a shiny sequin 'light' for the top of the firetruck. I hand out diecut firetrucks to the kiddos and then as I say the rhyme and put my firetruck up they can 'drive' their firetruck to the flannel board too.  I eventually want to make this a filefolder color recognition activity for our toddler storytime.

Calling All Firetrucks!  

by Kathryn Roach

Fire! Fire! Emergency!

Someone is in trouble.

Calling all *blue  firetrucks

Come on the double!

(repeat until all the children have added

their firetruck to the board)

Spray the water,

Now the fire is out!

"Everyone is safe!"

We all shout.

*green; yellow; orange; purple; black;

white; pink; brown; red.

Firetrucks and firefighters are a lot of Fun with Friends at Storytime!

Eeek! A Spider!

We're beginning to plan for the fall and of course that means...Halloween! When I think of Halloween I think of creepy things and one of those creepy things is...duh, duh, duh...Spiders!  I have some not-so-creepy spiders that I like to use with the younger, easily creeped-out kiddos at storytime. I have a 5 whats-it rhyme that I adapted from Preschool Express. Jean Warren had written it as Three Little Spiders.  I used some flannel pieces from other sets along with my ADORABLE little spiders. I placed the *item and made one of the spiders fall with each verse. I added back the spiders for the last verse.   I also changed the last line to be a Happy Halloween rhyme.  You can see that some of my * items didn't match the rhyme...but I'm making some more pieces that will!...or, you can just name the *items that you have.  Either way...Fun is about to happen!!

Five Little Spiders

by Jean Warren (adapted by Kathryn Roach)

Five little spiders climbing up the wall.

Along came a *grey squirrel and made one spider fall. 

Four little spiders climbing up the wall.

Along came a * little mouse  and made one spider fall.

Three little spiders climbing up the wall.

Along came a * hoot owl  and made one spider fall.

Two little spiders climbing up the wall.

Along came a * black cat  and made one spider fall.

One little spider climbing up the wall.

Along came a * Jack-o-lantern  and made one spider fall.

Five little spiders landed on the ground.

They said, "Happy Halloween!" and then didn't make a sound. (shhhhh)

Sorry for the quality of the pics. The spider's legs are made of metallic pipe cleaners. I used google eyes and half of a large circle sequin for the mouth.  I sandwiched the legs between two ovals with a LOT of glue!  These guys make me Happy!