T-R-A-I-N Video!

Looking for a way to build some early literacy skills through a fun and interactive song?  Especially for the little train lovers?  It's your lucky day ;) 

Not only are you introducing or reinforcing letter names in this song, but you're building musical skills as the kids keep the beat by rubbing their hands together.  You're reinforcing color concepts as you name (or have the kids name) the colors of the train cars.  There are motor and coordination skills being built as they attempt to make the 'choo' movement (and try NOT to sing the letter name!).  Plus--it's fun!

I have a bunch of other train related preschooly stuff over on my FlannelBoardFun.com blog, too.  You can check those goodies out right here:

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Down by the Station

I made a cute little Down by the Station video using my Train Set and characters from my Goldilocks, Five Little Monkeys, and Ocean Set.  You could make so many variations of this using whatever characters you want. (Edit: I've discontinued my Five Monkeys set due to racist roots.)

Talking about where Goldi drops off the animals at the end is a nice little way to build vocabulary.  The hand motions to go along with the song build musical skills (which in turn build early literacy skills.)  You can extend this to be more interactive by having the kids choose which animal goes in which color car...  As always, there are so many possibilities!  Have fun!

Muddy Pigs Revsited

So, one of my earliest flannel board sets after discovering Flannel Friday was a muddy pig set, 

inspired by multiple fabulous librarians.  

You can see the original version here.  

But I wanted to update my set to make it more of my own design, and I couldn't bear to rub brown fabric paint on these new cuties.  So I switched my mud spots to be made of felt, and I love them so much more.

I also decided those muddy pigs might like to get clean, too!  So I made my mud puddle reversible to a water puddle (or a lake, as I call it in my new little song...)

 Here are a couple of songs you could use with this set when you want to clean off the pigs:

Five Muddy Hog and Sows

Five muddy hogs and sows

(They’re pigs they are not cows)

Wanted to take a little swim.

One jumped into a lake

Got clean for goodness sake

That leaves four muddy hogs and sows

Continue, counting down to zero :)

Five Muddy Pigs

Down at the farm by the big blue lake

Were five muddy pigs for goodness sake

One jumped in and the mud washed away,

Now that pig is ready to play!

Keep counting down...

Go check out all the Flannel Friday goodness at the 

Flannel Friday Pinterest Pages!