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: 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: 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: 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!

Flannel Friday: Community Helpers

Does everyone have the community helpers flannel puppets? 

They stick to the board, too! Our community helpers storytime was very interactive with guessing games and books, the firefighter pokey and tool matching. This is one of my favorite themes. For these flannel pieces, I put up the instrument or object for each puppet one at a time and asked who would use it. For the younger children, I just put both pieces on the board and we sing a verse from this song.

"Community Helpers in Our Town"

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

The chef makes our food,

The chef makes our food,

Hei-ho, what do you know?

The chef makes our food.

Additional verses: doctor makes us well, dentist cleans our teeth, fireman fights fires, mailman carries mail, teacher says ABCs, worker builds a house

Check out the rest of the round-up.

Flannel Friday: Go Away Big Orange Monster

"Big Orange Monster"

Adapted by Miss Courtney

Big Orange Monster has 2 heart-shaped, yellow eyes

and a big, red mouth

2 leafy, green ears

purple, squiggly hair

sharp, white teeth

and a long, bluish, greenish nose,

But you don't scare me, Big Orange Monster!

Go Away...

long, bluish, greenish nose

sharp, white teeth,

purple squiggly hair,

leafy, green ears

big, red mouth

heart-shaped eyes

And don't come back... until Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Check out the rest of the spooky round-up on Miss Mary's blog.
Also shared at Read, Learn, Explore.

Flannel Friday: Ten Flashing Fireflies

Miss Meredith made the velcro firefly story board this week and I added the rhyme.

"Ten Flashing Fireflies" by Miss Courtney

Ten flashing fireflies flying in the night

One's bright light

Went night, night

Good-bye, sleep tight!

(count down to one)

No more fireflies flashing in the night

They are all gone, good night!

The velcro story could also be used to replace or re-tell the book Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges. See what the rest of the Flannel Friday group has been up to this week at Read, Rhyme & Sing.

Flannel Friday: The Cow Jumped Over the Moon

and the cow jumped over the moon

Our summer reading club begins on Monday. We always have a huge party at my branch. The little ones will be playing Pin the Cow Over the Moon to go along with the Collaborative Reading program of Dream Big READ. When I play a pinning and spinning game, I use color scarves over eyes. Then, the children can still see (mostly) and no one is scared.

Who is that masked egg?

And just for fun, I'd like to introduce a new masked hero from the brain of Bobo (my 3-year-old). We were playing with a Humpty Dumpty flannel story, when he decided to do a project. He asked me to make a superhero puzzle. I cut everything freehand, so it looks pretty good. Bobo was impressed. Then, he asked for a black outfit, which didn't turn out too well.

I also included the second photo because I finally bought a new camera. I didn't realize how bad my phone pictures were before. I'm going to re-shoot all of the past month's flannels and update my posts. Libraryland is hosting this week.

I'm sharing on Read.Learn.Explore. too.

Flannel Friday: 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe

Two Little Bluebirds

I've got some more Mother Goose on the Loose fun this week. MGOL is wonderful because it gives you the skeleton with the ability to add your own guts! (Note: I've been spending way too much time working on the body with my 3-year-old). The suggested rhyme for MGOL is "Two Little Dickie Birds." I found these wood and flannel birds at Hobby Lobby, though and adjusted the rhyme to go with them. Aren't they cute (after Easter sale, too!)?

Two Little Bluebirds

Two little bluebirds

Sitting on a cloud

One named soft

And one named LOUD

Fly away soft

Fly away LOUD

Come back soft

Come back LOUD

1, 2, Buckle My Shoe

 Last week, I shared an interactive flannel with Humpty Dumpty. This week, I'm sharing another one that works well with older toddlers as well as large groups. I start off the rhyme with the pieces like this. Then, say the rhyme as I move the pieces to suit the actions.

1, 2, All in a row

1, 2, Buckle My Shoe

1, 2, buckle my shoe

(fit buckle on shoe)

3, 4, knock on the door

(knock)

5, 6, pick up sticks

(pick up)

7, 8, lay them straight

(place neatly)

9, 10, a big white hen.

With older toddlers, the children try their favorite action. If there is a small group, they can try the whole rhyme. For a larger group, I have lots of different hens on hand. I hand out a color to each child (several of the same colors, too). Then, we say the rhyme together with a different ending a few times. Each child has a turn to bring up their hen and put her on the board.

Thank you for checking out my flannels. Mel is hosting the round-up this week if you'd like to see more. Check out the Flannel Friday blog if you'd like to get involved or want to find out what it's all about.

Flannel Friday: Five Little Bunnies

"Five Little Bunnies"

Ordinal Numbers

by Belinda Adkins from Mailbox: Preschool 

(I'm sorry I don't know which Mailbox. I've just got a copy of the page, 13 if that helps)

(Five) little bunnies hopping down a trail.

The (fifth) one stepped on the (fourth's) one tail.

"Ouch!" said the bunny.

"I'm sorry," said his friend.

Then, the (fifth) hopped home, and the (fourth) was on the end.

Additional verses: four, three

Two little bunnies hopping down a trail.

The second one stepped on the first one's tail.

"Ouch!" said the bunny.

"I'm sorry," said his friend.

Then the second hopped home, and the first said, "The end!"

These little guys were made using a paper overlapping technique then laminated. I love the white pom tail. Since this is an extravaganza, I'll include a couple of other things that came in
my story box this week provided by Miss Joyce and Miss Amber.

Use all those plastic eggs to make more bunnies. Make five for the rhyme above, or turn these into shakers.

I sang this to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" at the beginning to introduce the theme.
Miss Joyce saw this on Sunflower Storytime.

I'm a little bunny
and your in luck
just turn me over
and I'm a duck!

Miss J & A suggested pairing this puppet/craft with the book Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Rosenthal.
The children loved this craft. I was even stopped by a grandparent on my lunch break the next day
to tell me her granddaughter played with it all afternoon. Awesome!

And as for the question I posted last week...
It is a cream cheese and jelly sandwich. Yum!

Thanks for checking out the bunny fun, please see the rest of the Flannel Friday Roundup hosted by Storytiming Cate.