O Christmas Tree!

I wanted to share the felt Christmas tree and decorations that we are offering as an interactive activity in our children's area during our program break in December. I used my Sizzix Big Kick machine with several different diecuts. I made them so that they can be sorted by shape or main color or even size. We generally offer a different activity each week during the same time that we would normally offer our preschool or toddler storytime. This is a great way to continue to interact with our kiddos while we are planning for our next programming session!

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.

Guest post for Bethany: Three Nervous Turkeys!

I'm so happy to be hosting Bethany on my blog! She is Head of Children's Services at the Bedford Free Public Library. She has a really fun song/rhyme in time for Thanksgiving!

Three Nervous Turkeys

A Thanksgiving flannel board song

I found Five Nervous Turkeys on the ALSC blog (http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2013/11/give-thanks-for-storytime/).  The song is funny, filled with my favorite autumn fowl, and easy to make with free clipart.  But, as I searched for images and hummed along, I wanted a chorus for everyone to sing and a new verse for the ducks.  5 turkeys, with a full chorus between each verse, plus a final verse to acknowledge the duckiness … is too long for my young storytime kids!  I reduced the turkeys to 3 and scavenged my surplus turkeys for silly mistakes on the duck costumes.

Three Nervous Turkeys—tune: “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”

Three turkeys were getting quite nervous.

Thanksgiving Day soon would be back.

So one turkey put on a duck suit, (swap a duck for a turkey)

And now he goes “Gobble, quack-quack.”

Chorus:

Turkey, turkey, (hook thumbs together, fingers stretched out for the turkey feathers)

Turkey goes “Gobble, quack-quack, quack-quack.” (flap elbows/wings like a duck)

Turkey, turkey, (feathers)

Turkey goes “Gobble, quack-quack.”  (wings)

Repeat for 2 turkeys and 1 turkey.

After all of the turkeys are in duck suits:

Now no little turkeys are nervous.

They’re finally feeling their luck.

But you, my poor dears, might get hungry …

… unless, of course, you like duck!

(Chorus)

Ha! Thanks Bethany for sharing a fun Turkey flannelboard set! 
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.

Flannel Friday Roundup/Placeholder 11/20/15

Hello Flannel Friday Friends. I have been so grateful for this generous group of storytime enthusiasts. The ideas and inspiration have been a continuing source of affirmation and encouragement to me this past year. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday next week. We will not have a Roundup next week as we celebrate the holiday. So, I invite you to share your ideas and enjoy this week's Roundup!

Thanks Bethany for sharing an adorable rhyme, 'Three Nervous Turkeys'!

Katie@ Felt Board Magic has an adorable set to go with the fun song, 'Bingo'.

Katie, thanks for a second post this week, 'Five in the Bed'.

I'm sharing an interactive apple rhyme, 'I Love Apples - game', and a cute Home Extension.

Thanks Jane @ Piper Loves the Library,  for this wonderful post to remind us all to work together towards Peace in our world!








We really have so much to be thankful for!! I'm thankful for all of you Flannelboard Friends! 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.

Mmmmm, I Love Apples!

I have a fun interactive apple rhyme that I made up a few years ago. Here's the link for 'I Love Apples - game'.   I diecut about 4 or 5 of each color. I hand them out and tell the kiddos to bring the matching color to put on the flannelboard as I say the rhyme. You could just as easily use laminated paper apple shapes and let the kiddos come up and put their apples in a basket. Any way you play it, apples are a lot of Fun with Friends at Storytime. Check out my other apple posts HERE and HERE.






I love Apples - game
by Kathryn Roach
I love apples, so good to eat!
* color * apples can't be beat!
*sweet-red
*tart-green
*mild-yellow
*funny-blue
*surprising-purple
*tangy-orange
*silly-pink
See my apples. I can't wait
to eat my apples. They're so great!

I have a small apple die cut that we used with a basket shape for the kiddos to make their own basket of apples for our Home Extension. We got 2 baskets from one 9x12 piece of construction paper. The kiddos can use a glue stick at home as they remember the fun storytime at the library!
Another option could be to stamp apple shapes on the basket using stamps or real apples and paint.
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.

Spiders!

I love the Eency Weency Spider in all it's versions! I needed a cute interactive spider set to go with this theme.  Here's a set of rainbow spiders and a rainbow spiderweb I made a few years ago. I used the variegated yarn from Walmart and some white pipe cleaners to make my web. I put a dab of hot glue at each joint and a piece of velcro to hold the web on the board. The colorful spiders are a diecut. I cut 4 of each color. Unfortunately, their legs are a little thin and sometimes a spider loses one in the hands of an enthusiastic toddler. LOL! I made up a rhyme to use with the set, Rainbow Spiderweb.

Here's a cute, paper plate craft for a Home Extension. I bought the black plates at the Dollar store and we cut crepe paper strips for the legs. We used paper hole reinforcers for the eyes and cut out the mouth for some spidery fun! We also added a long string so that the kiddos could make their spider jump and dance! Rainbow spiders 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.

Beary Sleepy Bedtime

Bears and Bedtime are a winning combination for storytime! I've posted some other bedtime posts HERE and HERE. I made my own new set of Five in the Bed inspired by Miss Mary Liberry and Sarah at Read Rabbit Read. I actually made 6 little bears (can't remember why??) We offered a really easy prep, Home Extension that uses the adorable bear and bunny from this cute picture book! We put the cut squares in an envelope and paper-clipped it to the precut, programmed paper so that they could color Bear and bunny and make the blanket with the squares and a glue stick. I'm showing the example that I made. They loved it!! 

We also sang a fun silly song I saw at 1234 More Storytimes about colored pajamas that had everyone laughing! I laminated and cut out Google images of kids in 5 different colored pajamas; red, orange,green, pink and blue. I used those colors because they were one syllable and fit the song. Anyway, I was VERY expressive with my singing! After 2 colors the caregivers and the kiddos began singing with me. They thought it was hilarious! LOL! We're having 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. If you want more info about Flannel Friday here's the link for the official Flannel Friday blog.

Flannel Friday 10/23 Roundup/Placeholder

I'm so excited to be hosting Flannel Friday this week!! Here's this week's Flannel Friday Roundup for your viewing pleasure. Happy Fall Ya'll!!

Carol from Magical Library Book Bug has a 5 whatsit Mitten rhyme and cute magnetic mittens for a Hands theme for toddlers.

Amy from One Little Librarian has a cute rhyme and adorable ghosts that would be great with toddlers also!

Heather from Books and Giggles is sharing a set and templates for The Ox-Cart Man.

And I have a  felt set for the picture book, The Mouse and the Apple.









Thanks everyone for sharing! 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.