Amazing Felt Pieces for Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Pete the Cat

I was fortunate to see first hand, with one of my students...one of my adult students, the creation of these amazing felt pieces for the Children's classics: Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See and Pete the Cat. I asked Nam I Koo if I could post on my blog, and she smiled yes. The individual stitching and great details are amazing! She has hiding inside the felt, small magnets so the pieces can be used interchangeably between a felt board and a magnetic board.

Felt Magnets

Check out Pete the Cat standing! She chose to place magnets in his paws so the piece could be used for both Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes and Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons

Pete the Cat with Magnets

Further Reading: 

Pete the Cat Felt Board Story and Free Template

Button Preschool Theme

Bear Felt Board Stories

Circle of Ideas Online Workshops

Felt Snowmen and Color Recognition

Felt Snowmen

These fun snowmen allow young children to decorate as well as match colors. It is a felt activity that is easy to make. After making templates of a snowman, hat and scarf, cut out five snowmen with different color clothes. The hat and scarf should match to allow children to experience color coordination with the activity. The snowmen can be decorated with eyes, carrot nose, smile and buttons. Try outlining the snowmen with crystal fabric paint for an extra touch. Here is a poem to attach to this felt activity:



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

Further Reading:

Snow and Ice Preschool Activities

Snowflake Preschool Songs

Circle of Ideas Online Workshops 

Santa Clause Felt Activity

Young children enjoy hands on experiences. This felt board activity allows young children to put together Santa Claus themselves, not unlike dress up dolls. The song, Must Be Santa can be used to put the pieces together, whether at a circle time with an Early Childhood Educator or in a home environment.

To make this felt board activity,  find thick paper to make the templates for all they lyrics, then draw them, cut the fabric out and decorate the felt material. Santa will have the following pieces:

• head/face with rosy cheeks
• white moustache and white beard
• red and white hat red
• white coat red pants 
• black buckle 
• black boots
•  red mittens 
• Santa's bag

Further Reading

Christmas Around the World

Preschool Christmas Presents to Make

Circle of Ideas Online Workshops

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

ECE Online Workshops

Felt Boards and Visual Communication

Visual communication is an important element in providing quality care in Early Childhood Education. Young children are learning new words every day. At the same time, Educators may be interacting with children who are learning a second language or children who have cognitive delays in communication. Visual communication helps language development for all children. A message that is being spoken will be sent more easily if it is combined with visual representation. Educators have a variety of ways to send messages visually, such as pictures in book, felts on a felt board, puppets and even hand gestures or signs. 

Learning Baby Signs is a convenient way to add signing to our communication process in Early Childhood Education. Baby Signs® was introduced over twenty years ago by two childhood development experts, Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn whereby they extended on the basic knowledge that babies naturally talk with their hands.

For more information: 

Visual Communication with Young Children Workshop

Baby Signs® with Circle of Ideas

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.

Further Reading: 

Circle Time Basics Workshop

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!

Online Early Childhood Workshops with Circle of Ideas

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

Online Early Childhood Workshops

Frozen Felt Finger Puppets

And the movie Frozen just keeps going on and on, and children simply will not "let it go"!  I live in an urban environment, and there is a daycare facility right outside my apartment building. We have been having unusually warm weather for February. Over the last few days, as I am entering the building, I can hear the young girls on the top of the climber, singing at the top of their lungs, "Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go".  It still makes me smile.

So in a search on Pinterest, I found this amazing website, The Idea Room

Adorabel Felt Finger Puppets with Pattern: Find by clicking picture

And for a funny moment, check out Will Farell Singing the Song!

!