We are getting ready for our fall flannel board workshop for early childhood educators. We are doing cookies, so I'm excited to share one of my favorites--The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins. I chose the cookie theme because it's one of those general themes that can be used around the holidays without celebrating any one particular tradition.
Like the book, the pieces here are beautifully ethnically diverse. I love doing it as a flannel because it is mathematical gymnastics for preschoolers. I use it at story time, but I really love using it in our early literacy center and at the preschool because the kids can get their hands on it. I love watching them figure out how to distribute the cookies. And, of course, a set of bells next to the flannel board make the whole story come to life.
Lisa at Story Time with the Library Lady is hosting the roundup this week. Find all things Flannel Friday on the blog or find us on Pinterest.
I can't wait to do this with the kids. This is based on the rhyme widely available on the web. I shortened it (a) to turn it into a counting rhyme (who wants to ring a bell once?) (b) I do toddler storytime and shorter is always better and (c) shorter and repetitive means I can memorize it easily.
This was so easy to make. Cut slits in top and bottom. Slide one end of pipe cleaner into top slit. Slide on bell and five red beads. Ring the bell and slide one bead down each time you repeat the verse.
When I do this in storytime, we have some larger foam firefighters we slide down the long pole that pulls down our screen. I got the bead idea from a homemade abacus I saw.
Five brave firefighters
Sleeping in a row
Ring goes the bell
And down one goes....
More Mitten Matching
I couldn't resist making some mittens after seeing the fun on Loons and Quines. Check out the blog for more samples and the pattern. They kept flipping over when clipped on a clothesline with clothes pins, so I found a new use for my pasta drying rack. I will use this at storytime and circle time in my three year old classroom. I will also leave them out for the three's to explore during centers.
Hot Cocoa
Another flannel based on someone's great craft/math activity. I will be able to use this in storytime and the classroom. First I will put a few marshmallows in the first cup, and we will all count together. I'll do the same with the second cup then ask, "How many marshmallows altogether?" After we count each total, we will say this rhyme with our answer (based on the rhyme Mrs. Wood used in her classroom activity):
Seven marshmallows in my cup.
Drink it up! Drink it up!
Yum! Yum! Yum!
The Tallest Smallest Snowman
I got this idea looking at a snowman craft project on Kindergarten Lessons. Snowmen were built to form a child's name-one ball per letter. John's snowman was built with four balls, etc. The site suggests counting balls and comparing height. I am going to do a variation of that activity in my three-year-old classroom, but I am going to do this flannel at my library storytime:
The Tallest Smallest Snowman
by Shawn Wolf
Joey built a snowman that was very, very small.
But the snowman wished that he was very, very tall.
So Joey rolled some snow, and made a great big ball.
Then he gave it to the snowman, and hoped it wouldn’t fall.
“More!” said the snowman, and that wasn’t all,
“I want to be very, very, very tall!”
So Joey rolled some snow and made a great big ball.
Then he gave it to the snowman, and hoped it wouldn’t fall.
“More!” said the snowman, and that wasn’t all,
“I want to be the tallest snowman of them all!”
So Joey rolled some snow and made a great big ball.
Then he gave it to the snowman, and hoped it wouldn’t fall.
“More!” said the snowman, but Joey said, “That’s all,”
Then the tallest snowman’s parts began to slip and fall.
As the snowman crumbled, Joey heard him call,
“Now I am the very smallest snowman of them all.”
