Fall Preschool Felt Ideas: Squirrel and Acorns

Gathering All the Acorns Till They're Gone
Sung to: "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain"

I'll be gathering all the acorns till they're gone.
I'll be gathering all the acorns till they're gone.
I'll be gathering all the acorns, gathering all the acorns,
Gathering all the acorns till they're gone.(Children make collecting motion with their hands)

And I'll put them all inside my little home.
I will put them all inside my little home.
I will put them all inside, put them all inside,
Put them all inside my little home.(children pretend to place nuts in tree house)

And I'll eat the nuts until the winter's gone.
I will eat the nuts until the winter's gone.
I will eat the nuts until, eat the nuts until,
Eat the nuts until the winter's gone.
(children pretend to eat acorns)

Then I'll do it all again come next fall.
I will do it all again come next fall.
I will do it all again, do it all again,
Do it all again come next fall. (gathering motion with hands and arms again)

---

Five Little Squirrels 

Five little squirrels with acorns to store.
One went to sleep and then there were four!
Four little squirrels hunting acorns in a tree.
One fell down, and now there are three!
Three little squirrels wondering what to do.
One got lost, and now there are two!
Two little squirrels tossing acorns for fun.
One got tired, and now there is one!
One little squirrel playing in the sun.
He ran away, now there are none.

---

Frisky Squirrel                

Sung to: "The Grand Old Duke of York"
Oh, the frisky little squirrel
He gathers nuts and seeds.
He hides them for the winter months
So he'll have all he needs.
Refrain:
Oh, up-up-up he goes
And down-down-down he comes.
He runs around - goes up and down.
His work is never done. (repeat refrain)



Further Reading: 

Fall Activities for Developing Math Skills 

Squirrel Preschool Theme

Using the Felt Board for Circle Time Transition

What is Circle Time Transition? 

In Early Childhood programs, young children participate in circle time. Circle time incorporates a variety of teacher directed activities. It is a time for children to build skills in listening, group participation, sharing ideas, learning and having fun.

The felt board offers Educators opportunities to provide children visual props to stories, songs, and games which teach concepts, such as matching or counting.

Another benefit of the felt board is to help with transitions. When circle or group time is finished, it is best for children to leave circle one by one into the next area. Often eating or going outside is the next activity after circle time. Circle time provides an opportunity for the other Educators to clean up and prepare for the upcoming schedule, and once ready, the children can move to washing their hands or getting ready for outside. If all the children leave the circle at once, and rush to the washroom or cubby room, it leads to problematic situations. So, a gradual transition out of circle time works best for classroom management.

Any pieces on the felt board can be used for transitions, simply by asking questions to the children. For instance, "Can you find me the bear?"

Other felt board activities, such as matching or sequencing, work particularly well with transitions and of course language development. In larger groups, in order to allow every child an opportunity to visit the felt board, you could ask children to bring pieces to the board, and then ask children to remove the pieces. In the flower example, 9 children bring a flower to the board to place in the right sequence, and 9 children remove one flower. But, with smaller groups, the children could simply take the pieces off. For example, "Jenny, could you please come to the board and find me the biggest purple flower?". When Jenny successfully completes this request, the teacher can ask the group, "Is she right? Let's give her a clap. Hooray!" Followed by, "Jenny you can go and wash your hands". The amount of time this takes with each child, will allow for a gradual transition.

Summer Felt Board Ideas

Although Preschool Teachers take a break, many Early Childhood Programs are open throughout the summer. It is a time spent outdoors more than any other time of the year, but when those children are ready for a group circle or storytime, here are some summer theme ideas for the felt board!

Oh Mr. Sun

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun,
Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Hiding behind a tree

These little children are asking you
To please come out so they can play with you

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me!






Five Green and Speckled Frogs
As Raffi starts his song.... "On a hot hot day in July..."

Five Little Sailboats

Five little sailboats went out one day

Into the ocean and far away

Over the waves the boats do rock

Two of the boats decide to dock

Three little sailboats in the sea

With the sun as happy as can be

Two of the sailboats want to stay

So anchors they drop, for the day

One sailboat left, away he goes

A gust of wind, it sure does blow

As he rides the waves up and down

All the way to another town!

Spring Preschool Songs

Singing is a wonderful way for young children to learn. When songs provide facts for children, then as they listen to the music and learn the lyrics, they are additionally receiving teachable moments.

Preschool songs about the four seasons inevitably teach young children about the different aspects of spring, summer, fall and winter. The following article provides spring songs with lyrics to enjoy with preschool children in any early childhood environment. In addition, the spring felt pieces can be used while singing!

Spring Song: "My Eyes Can See It's Springtime"

This song incorporates so many aspects of spring while teaching children about their senses. It is sung to the tune of "Did You Ever See a Lassie" as well as "The More We Get Together" by Raffi.


My eyes can see it's springtime, it's springtime, it's springtime
My eyes can see it's springtime, the grass is so green.
The green grass, the flowers,
The sunshine, the showers,
My eyes can see it's springtime, the grass is so green.

My ears can hear it's springtime, it's springtime, it's springtime
My ears can hear it's springtime, the birds sweetly sing.
The birds sing,, the bees buzz,
The lambs bleat, the frogs croak
My ears can hear it's springtime, the birds sweetly sing.

My body can feel it's springtime, it's springtime, it's springtime
My body can feel it's springtime, the air is so warm
The warm air, the breezes
No frost and no freezes
My body can feel it's springtime, the air is so warm.

Out in the Garden 

This is a wonderful felt set to sing with the following song, to the tune of "Down By the Station"

Out in the garden in the month of May
See the pretty flowers standing in a row
See the little birds flying down to greet them
Tweet tweet tweet and off they go. 

Sing the same words and replace with

See the little bees...buzz, buzz, buzzSee the little butterflies...flutter, flutter, flutter


For an extension to this song, children can act out the song! Works well for circle time.

Preschool Song about Spring: 

"Do You Know That Spring is Here"

Young children like to share their knowledge with teachers, and this song provides an opportunity for children to offer what they know. It is sung to the tune of "Do You Know the Muffin Man".

Do you know that spring is here, that spring is here, that spring is here. Do you know that spring is here? Tell me how you know.

Give children a chance to share what they are experiencing outside or inside that tells them spring is here. With the answers, continue singing. If answers do not fit into the following lyrics, try creating new lyrics for the answers you were given.

We see flowers in the ground, in the ground, in the ground
We see flowers in the ground, we know spring is here.
We see a robin in the grass, in the grass, in the grass
We see a robin in the grass, we know spring is here.

The style of this song allows many answers to be fitted into the melody. Some more ideas are:

• We see the snow has melted away
• We can ride our bicycles
• We see blossoms in the tree
• We see a butterfly in the sky

Preschool Song: "Springtime is Finally Here"

This final song is sung to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell":

Springtime is finally here, oh springtime is finally here
Flowers come this time of year
Springtime is finally here.
Springtime is finally here, oh springtime is finally here
The bees are buzzing, can you hear
Springtime is finally here.

Spring is a time for rebirth and celebration. These songs can help children learn about the spring elements through the fun act of singing.

Further Reading:

10 Preschool Activities for Matching Easter Eggs

Felt Board Winter Activities: Matching Colors!

Matching colors is a fun and educational activity for young children. For toddlers, a color coordination activity helps them to not only learns colors, but  label them as well, thus fostering language development. The following felt board activities provide matching hats and scarves, along with fun, age appropriate poems. In addition, matching activities aids in gradual transitions out of circle time

To the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little penguin, black and white

Short and wobbly, and adorable sight

I can't fly at all, but I love to swim

So I'll waddle to the water

And dive right in!

Five little snowmen, on a winter's day.

The first one said, wake up so we can play

The second one said, let's stomp on the ground

The third one said, let's roll all around

The fourth one said, let's run and run and run

The fifth one said, I'm afraid I feel the sun

Oh dear, cried the snowmen

As they looked toward the sky

And the five melting snowmen

Waved a fond good bye

Felt Board Poems: Weather Preschool Theme

Many preschool programs discuss weather during circle time as part of their daily routine. Sometimes, though, weather as an individual theme or topic can emerge with the children's interests, or specific program planning from the Educator. Recently, where I live, the weather has been stormy.  The rainfall level and leaves blocking the drain has caused extreme puddles along the city streets. Wind has brought down tree branches.  The following felt board activities, poems and stories have been selected to fall into a weather preschool theme.

Rain

5 Little Raindrops

Five little raindrops plopping on the floor,

One plopped away, and then there were four.

Four little raindrops dripping on the trees,

One dripped away, and then there were three.

Three little raindrops splashing on my shoe,

One splashed away, and then there were two.

Two little raindrops starting to run,

One ran off, and then there was one.

One little raindrop drying in the sun,

It dried all up, and then there were none!

Umbrella Felt Board Poem

Five umbrellas waiting for rain to pour

One was picked, and now there are four

Four umbrellas, saying pick me, pick me!

One was taken, and now there are three

Three umbrellas, wondering what to do

One was chosen, and now there are two

Two umbrellas waiting for some fun

One was picked and now there is one

One little umbrella, the rain is all done

He went home and now there are none.

 

Wind

Five Little Kites

Five little kites flying high in the sky
Said, "Hi!" to the cloud as it passed by,
Said, "Hi!" to the birds, said "Hi!" to the sun,
Said, "Hi!" to an airplane--oh what fun!
Then whish went the wind,
And they all took a dive:
One
   Two
       Three
         Four
           Five.

Five Little Leaves

Five little leaves so bright and gay

Were dancing about a tree one day

The wind came blowing through the town

And one little leave came tumbling down.

Five Little Sailboats

Five little sailboats went out one day

Into the ocean and far away

Over the waves the boats do rock

Two of the boats decide to dock

Three little sailboats in the sea

With the sun as happy as can be

Two of the sailboats want to stay

So anchors they drop, for the day

One sailboat left, away he goes

A gust of wind, it sure does blow

As he rides the waves up and down

All the way to another town!

Sunshine 

 

Big Sun

(sung to Row, Row, Row, Your Boat)

Bright sun shining down,

Shining on the ground.

What a lovely face you have,

Yellow, big and round

Snow

Five Little Snowflakes

One little snowflake with nothing to do

Along came another and then there were two

Two little snowflakes playing in a tree

Along came another and then there were three

Three little snowflakes looking for some more

Along came another and then there were four

Four little snowflakes that finally did arrive

Along came another and then there were five

Five little snowflakes having so much fun

Out came the sun and then there were none.

Clouds

The Clouds Are Passing By

Tune: “The Farmer In The Dell”
by Jean Warren

The clouds are passing by,

The clouds are passing by,

Heigh-ho, just watch them go,

The coulds are passing by.

The clouds are passing by,

Way up in the sky,

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow,

The clouds are passing by.

Slippery Fish for the Felt Board

Slippery Fish, Slippery Fish,
Swimming in the water
Slippery Fish, Slippery Fish,
Gulp, Gulp, Gulp

This was one of the first songs I learnt in the Early Childhood Field. I worked one on one with a girl who was hearing impaired and she use to sign along with me to fish, eating and the "oh no!" by emphatically and joyfully putting her hands to her cheeks.

Later, when my son was a toddler, it was one of his favourite songs, and we use to sing it together. He loved the ending! Such fond memories

It is a classic song for young children.  Thank you Charlotte Diamond!

Bug Theme and the Felt Board

The other day a butterfly fluttered by, a fly was in my home and a spiderweb was attached to my car. A bug theme with young children is such a great idea when summer is around the corner. Here are some felt board suggestions for a topic all about insects. By clicking on the image you will be directed to a blog entry providing more information.

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2. Five Little Ladybugs

3. Out in the Garden In the Month of May (or June, or July, or August)

4. Nursery Rhymes: The Itsy Bitsy Spider

5. Down By The Bay: "Did You Ever See a Fly Wearing a Tie?"

Ladybug, Ladybug Fly Away Home: Ideas for the Felt Board

The other day I saw a ladybug while working with toddlers. My immediate reaction was positive and I wanted to show it to them.  Whenever I come upon a ladybug, particularly if it falls on me, I am always filled with such delight. I like ladybugs, always have. It's interesting to me that we have reactions towards bugs. Is it natural or are we taught to have those reactions based on stories, nursery rhymes, etc?

For instance,  Little Miss Muffet was scared by the spider who sat down beside her, and yet with ladybugs, we just want them to fly away home.


So, it's not surprising to me, that when making felts for the flannel board, that I created ladybugs. I like this set, because the leaf can be used as the backdrop and a felt board is not necessary.

Five Little Ladybugs

Five ladybugs with a leaf for their floor

One crawled away, and now there are four.

Four ladybugs left on a leaf

One climbed up a tree, and now there are three.

Three ladybugs wondering what to do.

One said goodbye, and now there are two.

Two ladybugs still having lots of fun,

When one had to leave, and now there is one.

One ladybug sitting all alone.

Finally flew home, and now there are none.

I also made this into a Felt Board Book: Please read the following blog entry for more information:
Felt Story Books

Rain Felt Board Ideas

It's raining again, where I live, and although it's typical of our weather cycle on the Pacific West Coast, it would be nice to see a sunny day. So, with this outside world, my blog entry today is all about rain.


A poem for the above felt umbrellas, which is great for fostering math!

Umbrella Felt Board Poem

Five umbrellas waiting for rain to pour

One was picked, and now there are four

Four umbrellas, saying pick me, pick me!

One was taken, and now there are three

Three umbrellas, wondering what to do

One was chosen, and now there are two

Two umbrellas waiting for some fun

One was picked and now there is one

One little umbrella, the rain is all done

He went home and now there are none.



The following felt pieces, I made this week to contribute to my rain theme, and they are so easy to make and I think, awfully cute!

Rain Felt Board Poem

5 Little Raindrops

Five little raindrops plopping on the floor,

One plopped away, and then there were four.

Four little raindrops dripping on the trees,

One dripped away, and then there were three.

Three little raindrops splashing on my shoe,

One splashed away, and then there were two.

Two little raindrops starting to run,

One ran off, and then there was one.

One little raindrop drying in the sun,

It dried all up, and then there were none!

Further Reading Suggestion :

Cloud Preschool Lesson Plan

St. Patrick's Day Felt Board Story

St. Patrick's day is around the corner, so I decided to make some clover. I went online to images and traced a four leaf clover and preceded to make my template.  Then, I went looking for a poem to go along with them. The following poem is very popular and found on many sites.  It was then I realized, that a shamrock usually only has three leaves!

Five Little Shamrocks Poem:

Five little shamrocks growing by the door.

(Child's name) picked one, and that left four.

Four little shamrocks, green as they could be.

(Child's name) picked one, and that left three.

Three little shamrocks, sitting by my shoe,

(Child's name) picked one, and then there were two.

Two little shamrocks nodding in the sun,

(Child's name) picked one, and that left one.

One little shamrock for St. Patrick's Day fun.

(Child's name) picked it, and that left none.

Further Reading Suggestion: Green Theme: Preschool Songs

Ocean Theme and the Felt Board

The other day, the daycare where I work, visited the library for storytime. The librarian carried out an ocean theme with books, songs and felt stories. Of course, she sang Slippery Fish, a classic. But, she also sang a new one for me, following the song/rhyme Five Little Monkeys but instead singing with fish and a shark:

Five little fishies swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark, "you can't catch me, no you can't catch me"
Along came the Shark as quiet as can be
And snap!

Four little fishies.....

My following collection contributes to an Ocean Theme. Please click on the photo for the blog entry and further information.


Five Little Sea Creatures

The Rainbow Fish

10 Little Rubber Ducks

Five Green and Speckled Frogs for the Felt Board

 
After working years in the childcare field  I would have to hazard a guess that Five Green and Speckled Frogs is the most common felt board song that I have observed from my colleagues. I certainly use my felt board pieces a great deal, either with preschool ages or toddlers. In addition, I also have felt puppets in my collection, with one being made within my days as an ECE student. I like how my frogs turned out, and I think what makes them so adorable, is those googly eyes and smiles!

Wow, how long has this been in my circle time "toolbox"?

Flannel Friday Roundup for February 7th

Hi Everyone and thank you for your contributions!

To begin, welcome Jennifer with her first contribution! She provided us some felt props to be used with the story, Cupcake by Charise Mericle Harper on her blog Storytime Extras. Her blog is filled with great ideas.


Kathryn over at Fun with Friends at Storytime provided us with the cutest dragons ever, that were inspired after reading the book, George and the Dragon by Chris Wormell many times over with her grandson J.


Our next contribution comes in two parts titled Feeling a Little (Hermit) Crabby inspired with kindergarteners and Eric Carle's Hermit the Crab which can be found on her blog: A Librarian Less Ordinary. Mrs. Todd collaborated with others and the outcome is amazing. As she explained herself..."I hope you're inspired to do your own over-the-top Eric Carle study".

Storytime Crafts provides us with props for a theme about Alligators and/or Crocodiles for as stated on the blog, indeed children don't care about the difference! :)

Brooke at Reading With Red sent in a contribution from her "Play and Learn" center all about Building a Snowman. The different felt pieces to create one's snowman are so cute, especially the hats!

Sharon at Rain Makes Applesauce and her blog title: Weeding the StoryTime Collection:. An Unconventional Flannel Friday sort of says it all :) Her blog describes how the library where she works are having the carpets replaced which led into a major weeding process for her and her staff members.Think we can all relate to that. As a preschool teacher I have weeded many a cupboard/closet of its belongings!

Katie at Story Time Secrets has sent us felt board pieces inspired by the rhyme, Mother and Father and Uncle John. It is a poem usually used when bouncing with babies. She has provided the words, a link to view it, and ideas for extending the rhyme with preschool aged children.

Lisa at Libraryland created felts to accompany the classic children's book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? She used her die cut machine and said it was easy to use the felt material and was happy with the outcome.

At Library Village,  Miss Sue made the most adorable  mailbag and envelopes inspired by one she found on Pinterest. She used it with her new theme: Letter of the Month. I love her idea of putting the letter and something that begins with that letter in each bag!

MissMaryLiberry provided felt pieces spelling out B U N N Y to help the children have some indoor movement after all the cold cold weather. As she wrote it "was a great movement activity that incorporated letter knowledge, letter sounds, phonological awareness, and just plain FUN".

Bridget's contribution this week at What is Bridget Reading? displays bird houses with shapes which she was inspired to create from a Flannel Friday contributor. She looks forward to using the felts with various Storytime themes.

My contribution this week is  felt pieces to be used with Down by the Bay. Although the post is from awhile ago, I have been singing the song alot this week with the children at my workplace, and smile on the inside with how much they love singing those lyrics again and again!