Flannel Friday: Five Delicious Cupcakes

"Happy Birthday"

Traditional Song

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear children,

Happy birthday to you.

How old are you now?

How old are you now?

How old are you, children?

How old are you, now?

Each child can bring up a cherry and attach it to the cupcake with their age. This works great with a mixed age group. It's fun to share with a new group to get to know everyone. You can also use the flannel as a counting game as shown above. Use with a birthday theme, counting theme, or baking theme!

Library Quine is hosting this week's Flannel Friday Round-up.

Flannel Friday Round-Up

"Five White a Fluffy Sheep" from Fun with Friends at Storytime. Kathryn used the tune of my favorite storytime song, "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" to shear some sheep for a flannel story that is just right for April. She also suggests lots of wonderful sheepy books. I just love the tiny eyes on these sheep. As I've had fun with this song myself, it is a great example of the resource sharing that takes place each week on Flannel Friday!

"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff from Libraryland. Lisa made a portable flannel story from a pizza box and detailed pieces that can be stored inside it to take for Outreach programs. Absolutely brilliant! The patterns are also shared.

"Six Little Men in a Flying Saucer" from Storytime with Miss Tara. This storytime has me singing "catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day." Don't miss Miss Tara's Letter of the Day letter match. It's such a great idea.

"Shape by Shape" by Suse MacDonald from Thrive After Three. Mrs. Shaia shares an inventive flannel story idea ala "Go Away Big Green Monster!" This simple idea can be adapted to lots of the guessing books out there. This flannel is perfect for Dig into Reading.

"Planting a Rainbow" by Lois Ehlert from Busy Crafting Mommy. Haven't we all wanted to make this into a flannel board? Check out the beautifully detailed flowers by BCM.

"Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook" nursery rhyme from What is Bridget Reading? Bridget shares lovely, detailed chicks and a hen to accompany this traditional rhyme. I'd love to use this for Mother Goose on the Loose.

"The Quilt that Grandma Made" from Story Time Secrets. Katie explores the letter Q through a cumulative story of a grandma making a quilt.

"Five Little Ladybugs" from Bird's Books. Kheineck's first Flannel Friday submission is one after my own heart. These ladybug fingerpuppets are versatile and adorable.

"Star Cookies" from Spectacular Story Time. Angela did some deep digging to come up with this flannel story from her childhood. The characters have wonderful facial expressions, so be sure to check it out. It would be a great addition to a folk tales or outer space theme.

"Five Little Caterpillars" from Narrating Tales of Preschool Storytime. The original countdown rhyme has a surprise ending that's sure to delight the preschool crowd.

"Five Funny Clowns" from Miss Meg's Storytime. Miss Meg goes to the circus and shares lots of silly stories.

"Farm Pack" from Storytime Katie. Katie shares her pieces for "Bingo" and "Old MacDonald." I love the barn! The cow reminds me of an illustration... Sandra Boynton's maybe?

"Five Umbrellas" from Catch the Possibilities. Amy and a teen volunteer created these adorable umbrellas. Adding eyes really gives them some personality. This rhyme comes at the perfect time for my neck of the woods that had lots of rain this past week!

"Birds in a Tree" from Story Time with the Library Lady. LL shares a beautiful 3-D cherry blossom tree complete with colorful birds.

"Rocket" from Madigan Reads. Blast off with an adorable storytime anecdote.

"Little Mouse House" from Rachel's Reading Room. Rachel sewed the mouse houses so they are lift-the-flap. What a great idea!

"Pig's Picnic" by Keiko Kaszo from Time for Storytime. Leah shares her first story with the group. The vibrant, whimsical pieces will please even the toughest crowd!

And that is the round up for this week! Whew, thanks for sharing. Please be sure to check out the first timers posts and leave them a comment. You can check out the Flannel Friday blog to meet all the members and see past round-ups as well as upcoming events.

Flannel Friday Placeholder for April 19

I'm hosting Flannel Friday this week. Please leave a link to your post in the comments. 

Flannel Friday is a group of bloggers, children's librarians, moms and crafters who write about flannel stories, storytime and book activities each Friday. If you are interested in viewing some previous round-ups, please look on the Flannel Friday blog.

Find the complete round-up here!

Flannel Friday: I'm Driving in My Car

Next week, I'll be starting a special session of Mother Goose on the Loose. I'm offering it during the time we usually take a break from storytimes. So, I've decided to use all of my favorite rhymes and songs.

I'm Driving in My Car

From Mother Goose on the Loose

By Betsy Diamant-Cohen

I'm driving in my car

I'm driving in my car

Beep, beep! Toot, toot!

I'm driving in my car.

Additional verses: I'm driving very fast, I'm driving very slow

I love Byron Barton's car from My Car. So, I decided to make a flannel version of it to accompany the song above. As my flannel board is red, I had to change the colors somewhat so it will stand out. I love the illustration with the car pulled apart. First, I'll put up the whole car and ask what it is and what noises it makes. After we sing the song and share the book, I can pull it apart for a review.

I even made a little Sam to drive! Flannel Friday Round-Up will be appearing In the Children's Room this week. I'm also sharing with Montessori Monday.

Flannel Friday

Flannel's so soft...

"The Most Wonderful Egg in the World" SLC Book Boy shares a teaser for the book by Helme Heine with flannel pieces for an adaptation. I must check out this book!

"Happy Birthday" with yummy cupcakes and a surprise ending from Ram Sam Storytime.

"Looking for a Hug" from Librarian VS Storytime.  Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo-doo! Add a favorite television character to one of your stories or rhymes.

"Five Comfy Mattresses" also known as "The Princess and the Pea" from The Voices Inside My Headphones is my kind of silly.

"Clip-Clop" from Piper Loves the Library is an adaptation of "the perfect book" according to Jane and I must agree. The black backing on the figures make them jump off the flannel board which can be challenging with that red.

"Five Royal Penguins" a countdown rhyme and guessing game by me!

"Heart Felt Songs" from Storytime ABC's offers several ideas for Valentine's Day programs. Could those hearts work for a rainbow storytime, too?

"Cookie Monster" from Read, Rhyme and Sing. Mmmm, C is for cookie that's good enough for me!

Is that a banana?

"Recipe for a Hippopotamus Sandwich" A deliciously silly version of the Shel Silverstein poem from So Tomorrow.

"Winter Tree and Forest Animals" from Read, Sarah, Read. It's a lift-the-flap prop. Go ahead, click on it.

"Not a Box" from Thrive After Thee. A cardboard box is all you need for a brilliant story prop.



You CAN wear it on your finger

"Little Birdies" Welcome Storytime Fun to the mix with her many colored birds.

"Humpty Dumpty" from Libraryland. I love Dr. Jean!





How'd you do that?

"Flannel Board" out of a binder. How did she do it? Find out on Read it Again! Don't miss her fish flannel to share with little patrons.

"Cutting Flannel with a Silhouette Cameo" from Loons and Quines. A review I find interesting as I've been using my library's Cricut to make craft pieces. I haven't been brave enough to try flannel yet.



It's like flannel that doesn't fall down...

"Never Too Little to Love" SLC Book Boy shares my favorite love story with laminated pieces that look as if they popped right out of the book and an adorable giraffe hat.

"Musical Instruments" Story Time Secrets lets us in on the secret to planning storytimes for challenging letters like X and V.

And that concludes the round-up portion of this post. Thank you all for contributing such fun, inventive stories. If you would like to join the Flannel Friday group, you can follow us on Facebook or Pinterest. For more information, visit the Flannel Friday blog.

Read It Again!

The candles are lit! Flannel Friday will be celebrating our 2nd birthday on March 15th, 2013. There are several ways in which you can take part. First, fill out the Where in the World are you? survey. You do not need a blog or web site for this party game. The major festivities begin on March 8th when Rain Makes Applesauce will be sharing What Flannel Friday means to you? Contribute a poem, song, video or even a flannel story to show your appreciation for this fabulous group. If you can't make it to the party, but would still like to send a card (i.e. you don't have a blog), please leave a comment on Rain Makes Applesauce or our FB page.

Flannel Friday: Five Royal Penguins

Penguins by Miss Meredith

Five Royal Penguins

From: PUBYAC Digest, Vol 13, Issue 7

One royal penguin with nothing much to do,

Called for his brother and then there were two.

Two royal penguins happy as could be,

Called for their sister and then there were three.

Three royal penguins wished there were more,

Called for their mother and then there were four.

Four royal penguins learning how to dive,

Called for their father and then there were five.

One, two, three, four, five!

Each penguin has different color eyes, so I showed all of them before starting out the rhyme and asked the children to call out each character. After saying the rhyme once, I took down the penguins and had the children recall the colors as we said it again.

I also made a penguin guessing game to introduce the theme of the day that was inspired by our craft.

What do you get when you take a circle,

and you cut it in half,

and cut it in half again?

Hmmm, what can it be? Add a mouth and eyes to see... That's right, a penguin.

Sharing with the Kids Co-op and For the Kid's Friday

Flannel Friday Placeholder

I'm so happy to be hosting Flannel Friday this week. Please leave your links in the comments. I will be making another post throughout Friday and Saturday once I have everyone's ideas. Flannel Friday will be 2-years-old on March 15th, so we are planning something special. I'll have more information in the next post. Thank you for sharing! The Round-Up is Live...

Flannel Friday Round-Up: December 14

Welcome to Flannel Friday! I'm a first-time host and longtime participant and enthusiast. Using alternative storytelling is a great way to build narrative skills with children. Play with these ideas at work or home!

Soft and Fuzzy

"All You Need for a Snowman" by Alice Schertle adapted by Miss Tara from Storytime with Miss Tara and Friends. Look for the surprise prop that delighted the children.

"Cupcake" by Charise Mericle Harper adapted by Miss Meghan from Busy Crafting Mommy. Yum, a storytime all about baking.

"Feelings" by Kristen Balouch adapted by Sarah from Read Rabbit Read. If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

"My Mother's Got Me Bundled Up" by Jack Prelutsky adapted by Andrea from Librarian VS Storytime. A wonderful way to visualize poetry. Don't miss the long-johns!

I've Got Five Fingers

"Five Little Unicorns" Unicorn finger puppet from Lisa at Libraryland. I agree, Lisa, who doesn't need a unicorn or five?







Fun and Games

"Baby Penguin" Seek-and-find game by Linda from Notes from the Story Room. Why not add number recognition to the classic story board game of hide-and-seek?

"Where's the Duck?" Seek-and-find game by Bridget from What is Bridget Reading? Bob Ross would be jealous of these happy, little trees.





I'll Show You Mine, If...

"My House" Draw-and-Tell rhyme from Anne at So Tommorow. Lovely rhyme and pattern with movement options to get those wiggles out.

"Pete the Cat and the Santa Hat" from Library Quine at Loons and Quines @ Librarytime. Pete has a new hat! Hmmm, do I sense a craft idea?

"Picture Frame Flannelboard" by Andrea from Rovingfiddlehead Kitlit. Possibly the perfect Christmas gift! It's portable, educational and quiet.

And that's the last Flannel Friday for 2012! Do you want to know more about this FF craze? Check out the blog, pinterest and Facebook pages. Can't wait for more flannel or storytelling ideas? Visit the FF contributors during the holidays.

Flannel Friday Round-Up

I'm hosting the round-up this week. Please leave your link in the comments.

Here's the post for Flannel Friday 12/14.

Flannel Friday: The Snow is Falling Down

"The Snow is Falling Down"

Sung to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell"

By Miss Courtney

The snow is falling down,

The snow is falling down,

Add one snowflake for each line

It's like a blanket on the ground,

The snow is falling down.

Add snowy blanket

We roll it in a ball,

We roll it in a ball,

We make a great big circle,

When we roll it in a ball.

Add large circle

We make a smiley face,

We make a smiley face,

We add eyes, nose and mouth,

To make a smiley face.

Ask children, "What did we make?"

The end.

I'll be sharing this Winter flannel song next week for our annual PJ Storytime. I'm having a snow theme this year! Flannel Friday Holiday Round-Up Here!!!

Flannel Friday: Lunch by Denise Fleming

I saw this flannel idea on Flannel Friday quite some time ago, so imagine my surprise when it showed up in the Food story box this month! I have no idea who created this beautiful flannel story, but would hazard a guess it was Miss Jo Kay. It's surprisingly sturdy. 

My favorite part of sharing a flannel story is the adaptability. You don't have to use exact words, or go in an exact order. For this story, I had a small group and a vocal 4-year-old (A), so I tailored it a little bit.

Lunch

Adapted by Miss Courtney

Once upon a time there was a little mouse. One day, little mouse smelled something coming from the kitchen. He found something white...

A: I don't know what that is...

It is a turnip, do you like turnips?

A: Yes

Do you think the mouse would eat it?

A: Yes

Then, the mouse smelled something yellow that grows on a stalk.

A: CORN!

Would the mouse eat that?

A: No.

Ok, let's leave the corn up on the board then.

Next mouse smelled something blue

A: BLUEBERRIES! Those are my favorite!

Would mouse eat a blueberry?

A: Yes.

Mouse also found some peas and grapes, an apple and a watermelon.

(A said he ate all those, too.)

Then, the mouse was very full and very tired, so he took a nap.

(I hide the mouse under the flannel board and scoot all of the food off him back into the box.)

When he woke up, he stretched and looked around and smelled something delicious...

Dinner!

The end.

Wouldn't this be a great story to adapt for food-related holidays? I think our mouse might find Santa's cookies pretty tasty!

Happy Thanksgiving, Slapsgiving or Planksgiving (depending on what shows you watch, get high fives for guessing in the comments!) I'm taking the week off. Flannel Friday will be hosted at Loons and Quines this week. Don't miss it.

Shared on The Children's Bookshelf.

Flannel Friday: What a Cake!

What a Cake!

From Mudluscious by Jan Irving and Robin Currie

Once there was a baker who baked a lovely cake.

Oh, what a cake he did make!

But when he wasn't looking,

A flea flew in

to the cake the baker baked

Oh, what a cake he did make!

But when he wasn't looking...

a butterfly blew in

a frog flipped in

a snake slipped in

a duck danced in

a pig pranced in

Oh what a cake THAT did make!

But then the baker looked and said, "ENOUGH!"

And out the pig pranced,

The duck danced,

The snake slipped,

The frog flipped,

The butterfly blew,

The flea flew

And they all shared the cake the baker baked, and what a cake he did make!

The end.

I usually just dump the animals out, because it's easier and funnier. The children all rush to pick them up, then we can recall what alliterative movement they did. At the end, I hold the cake up to the board, which is red, so it will show through the clear part. He made a red, velvet cake, YUM!

Flannel Friday 11/16

Flannel Friday: Turkey Wore His Red Feather

Turkey Wore His Red Feather

Sung to the tune of "Mary Wore Her Red Dress"

From Piggyback Songs?

Turkey wore his red feather, red feather, red feather,

Turkey wore his red feather all day long.

Additional verses: green, orange, blue, yellow, pink and white

I also use this turkey for our weekly matching game in November. Thanksgiving is tricky for storytime. I'd rather focus on family than food. Lots of rhymes and stories out there make fun of the turkey getting eaten. It's just not my cup of tea. I'm excited to see what the rest of the Flannel Friday group comes up with this week!

Flannel Friday: The Perfect Pumpkin

Snow White and the Poison Apple

Each year, I have a special Trick-or-Treat storytime. I dress up and coordinate my costume with my son, Bobo. This was his first Halloween! So this story is an oldie, 2008, at least for him.

The Perfect Pumpkin

By Susan Dailey & adapted by Miss Courtney

From A Storytime Year

It was late in October and I wanted my pumpkin to be perfect. I found the biggest pumpkin in the patch and brought it home. Then, I began to decorate.

I put all the pieces up on the board and ask the children which would make the best eyes, nose and mouth. Each year is a different combination as I leave it up to them.

What? You don't think the perfect pumpkin would have fish eyes? Okay, I guess we can use stars. Oh, you think a crescent nose is better than a triangle? Alright, but what will we use for the mouth, then? A heart? Yeah, you're right. It really is the perfect pumpkin, now!

The End.

The patterns are available in A Storytime Year. Check out the rest of the round-up this week.

Happy Halloween!

Flannel Friday: Little Mouse and the Big Leaf

Little Mouse and the Big Leaf

by Miss Courtney

Once upon a time there was a little mouse who lived in a small cave.

Little mouse scurried around in the grass, like he did every day when a leaf suddenly landed on his head.

Little mouse knew what this meant. It is Fall. Fall is the time before winter when all the animals and plants get ready for the cold days ahead.

Little mouse already had a safe house. But, he still needed food to eat for the whole winter. He began searching. He found:

A few corn kernels nestled under a yellow leaf

A little piece of broccoli peeking out of a red leaf

A fragrant piece of cheese buried under an orange leaf

And a warm sunflower seed hiding under a brown leaf.

Little mouse took everything back to his house. He thought he might find one more thing and went searching again. He spied a large leaf and thought he might find a great treasure trove of food hiding. But when he lifted the largest leaf, "SSSSSssssss," it was a SNAKE!

Little mouse raced back to his house, snuggled in and waited for a new day. He used a leaf to keep warm and to hide from any snakes who might be lurking nearby.

The End.

Flannel Friday, it happens every week!