Valentines and Envelopes

More fun, creative, pretend play!  I loved the envelopes I made last year, and was inspired to make some that the children could handle themselves.  My new set is machine stitched, and they close with a little piece of velcro.  I think the kids will love pretending to mail each other their cards--I plan to put these out near our toy mailbox, which generally sees a lot of mini stuffed animals shoved inside, rather than mail :)

(These cuties are sold out, but I've got lots of other holiday fun in my shop!)

Here are some books, rhymes and songs that would be great for a Valentines, mail, or love story time:

Mouse’s First Valentine by Lauren Thompson
I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy

Bunny Mail by Rosemary Wells

The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg

Delivering Your Mail by Ann Owen

You Know What I Love by Lorena Siminovich

The Secret by Lindsay Barrett George      

Early In the Morning
Early in the morning at eight o’clock
You can hear the postman knock
Up jumps ______ to open the door
One letter, two letters, three letters, four!

Four Pretty Valentines

Four pretty valentines for everyone to see.
___________ bought one and then there were three.
Three pretty valentines said, "I love you"
___________ bought one and then there were two.
Two pretty valentines, this was so much fun.
___________ bought one and then there was one.
One pretty valentine sitting on the shelf.
I liked it a lot! So, I bought it for myself.

Mail Myself ToYou by Woody Guthrie

I'm gonna wrap myself in paper,
I'm gonna dab myself with glue,
Stick some stamps on top of my forehead;
I'm gonna mail myself to you.

I'm a gonna tie me up in a red string,
I'm gonna tie blue ribbons too,
I'm gonna climb up in my mail box;
I'm gonna mail myself to you.

When you see me in your mail box,
Cut the string and let me out;
Wash the glue off my fingers,
Stick some bubble gum in my mouth!

Flannel Friday is being hosted this week by Kathryn at Fun with Friends at Storytime.  You can find lots of other great stuff at Flannel Friday's Facebook and Pinterest pages, too!

Winter Friends Dress Up Set

I have officially mailed in my fee for an upcoming November Craft Fair!  I did take part in a vendor fair at my preschool last spring, which inspired me to start my shop, but this is the first time I'm venturing out of my comfort zone to sell my sets in person, to strangers. I'm nervous, excited, and busy!  I put together five of these sets last weekend, and hope some lovely families think they'll be perfect for their young children :)  I will definitely be making a set for my classroom!  

I think this would be a great table activity in a library following a story time on winter, penguins, owls, or any of the occupations/themes represented by the outfits...Some other ways to use this set:
Have the kids help you dress the critters!  Pass out only one item from each outfit, and keep the coordinating items in your hand.  Put the snowman on the board and put the hammer in his hand.  "Uh oh, this worker has lost her hat!  She only has a hammer!  Does anyone have the hat for this construction worker?"  You could also put all the accessories on one side of the board, and all the hats on the other side, and the kids can come up and make a match...  Really, there are tons of ways to use a set like this--I hope you find some that work for you!

I've got lots of fun felt sets at my shop--come take a peek!

I'm hosting Flannel Friday this week!  You can find the roundup here.  Need more information about Flannel Friday?  Visit the Blog and Facebook!  Want a zillion more ideas?  Check out Flannel Friday on Pinterest!