Tag Archives: clothes

Flannel Friday: Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You In The Blue Hat?

17 Jan

One of my most popular flannels has been Baby Duck, Baby Duck. I’ve also used the traditional Little Mouse version (that actually RHYMES)  to great success. So, here’s another. Because, WHY NOT?

The game goes like this: I put the hats up on the board, and we talk about their colors. We might even talk about who uses some of the hats (cowboy, builder, baseball player, etc). Then the kids close their eyes while I hide a kitty cat behind one of the hats (if he hasn’t already been hidden). We take turns choosing colors and then saying:

“Kitty cat, kitty cat, are you in the [color] hat?”

Holy over-exposure, batman! Oh well. You get the idea.

Holy over-exposure, batman! Oh well. You get the idea.

I whip the hat off the board and…*gasp!*…he’s there! Or he isn’t. 

Hi, little kitty!

Hi, little kitty!

The kids LOVE this game. They feel great when they find him but don’t suffer any great hard feelings when they don’t. Make sure you either have enough pieces for everyone to have a turn, or are willing to re-hide the cat if he’s found so that everyone has a turn. And EXPLAIN that you’re going to do this at the beginning. EVERYONE must get a turn or there will be ugly crying. And who wants that?

I’m not the best artist, but if you want to use my hats, here’s a photocopy of them: KittyCatHat

Today’s flannel roundup (floundup?) will be hosted by Kathryn. For all past flannels, click the pinterest link to the right.

Happy flanneling!

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Flannel Friday: Sorting Socks Game

7 Dec

socks

I have to start with a shout-out to my friend Becky who runs Denver Craft Ninjas (and who has just started an awesome new crafting party business, Kunoichi Craft Events): after several felt-related craft projects, she found herself left with far more felt than she could ever hope to use up. So she very kindly donated a chunk of it to the library for flannelboard making! That’s how I was able to create the clothes dryer below: with a large piece of cream-colored felt courtesy of Becky and the Denver Craft Ninjas.

socks1

I told the kids that I did my laundry before I came, and now I needed their help to sort the socks into pairs. If you’ve got a small enough group you can invite children up to pull out a sock and add it to the flannelboard. If its mate is already up there, they can put them together to make a pair. We identify the colors, too. If it’s a larger group like I had today, I do the sock pulling and putting. But the kids help me figure out what color we’ve got and if its mate is already on the board.

SOCK MONSTER!

SOCK MONSTER!

The kids had a great time with this game – the yelled out the colors and quickly noted a match. It’s a great addition to my clothing-themed storytime!

socks3

The clothes dryer is a box with a hole cut in (a kleenex box would work, although mine is a bit larger and sturdier), covered in cream-colored felt wrapped like a gift. I glued two pieces of felt over the hole but there’s plenty of room for me (or a kid) to stick my hand in and remove socks. I added black circles with paint for a little flair.

I’m really proud of this project and so far, the kids have LOVED it!

Today’s roundup will be hosted by Cate at Storytiming. And to see all past flannels, click on the icon to the right to visit our Pinterest page!

Happy flanneling!

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Flannel Friday: Mary Wore Her Red Dress

7 Oct

No, this flannel isn’t all about me.  I don’t actually happen to have a red dress. But maybe I need to get one, for when I sing this song? Because what we’re talking about here is the kids’ song, “Mary Wore Her Red Dress” (<—– listen here). I made this flannel years ago:

Mary wore her red dress,

Red dress, red dress,

Mary wore her red dress,

All day long.

It usually continues with more red clothes, but instead I made clothes of various colors for us to sing about. Pink hat, green shoes, blue pants, etc.:

Red dress, green shoes (I love my clown shoes), purple mittens

After singing the song with the flannel pieces, I ask each child to tell me one article of clothing they are wearing and what color it is, as well as their name. We then sing the verse for them: “David wore his spiderman shoes, spiderman shoes, spiderman shoes, David wore his spiderman shoes, all day long.” Everyone who wants to participate can! Obviously, this isn’t feasible if you’ve got a really large group, but if it’s 15 or fewer, it can work. And be fun!

Pink hat, yellow shirt, blue pants, brown (sparkley) socks

Combine this with a singing of Hap Palmer’s “What Are You Wearing” and books like Margaret Chodos-Irvine’s Ella Sarah Gets Dressed, Jan Brett’s The Mitten and Jonathan London’s Froggy Gets Dressed and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine clothing-themed storytime!

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Flannel Friday: Matching Mittens

8 Jul

I can’t take credit for this great idea; my co-worker Kim created our first matching mittens set. But I made these, so I CAN take credit for the silly designs on the mittens.

I made 2 mittens of each color; there are 26 mittens in all (a couple of colors have 2 pair – light and dark blue; light and dark brown). They are clipped, by clothespin, on yarn that I braided together to make it thicker. A rope would probably work better. I got the clothespins at Walgreens, I think. A large bag is pretty inexpensive.

Here’s how I use these: I give each child one mitten (one of each pair; I keep the match). Then I hold up one mitten and ask the kids what color it is. After they’ve answered, I ask if anyone has the match. The child who has it brings up the mitten, and I hold the clothespin open as he or she puts the mitten in. I add the match and hold it up so we can admire our work! We continue until all the matches are made.

If I have more than 13 kids I give out both of the pair, and ask, “does anyone have a green mitten?” The two children with green mittens bring them up and add them to the clothesline.

This could be used to learn about patterns, shapes, and, obviously, colors.  I use it with my clothing storytime. You could make matching socks instead of mittens, or even a variety of clothing, if you want.  It would be a great follow up to Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash or The Mitten.  It’s always been a big hit with the kids – they love getting to bring the mitten up and match it in front of the whole group.

Visit Storytime Katie later today for the full Flannel Friday round up!

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