Little Broom Hide and Seek

 I've written about this Halloween game before, right here.  

You've seen these fine fellows in other posts, like this one, too.  Remember?  They look like this:

But I've only just gotten around to publishing the Little Broom Hide and Seek video, and I thought it deserved it's very own post.  So that's why we're here :)

If you need to know more about Little Mouse and all the fun to be had with this game, please check out all these fun versions of the classic preschool game!  

And now, for Little Broom in all it's not-very-scary action.... (Please take note of my blunder at the end, as well as all the vocabulary, position words, color naming and more early learning that goes on in this one!)

Trick or Treat Ghost Count Down!

Let's count some colorful ghosts, shall we?

This fun ghost felt board counting rhyme is all about not-so-spooky Halloween fun 😊 Get the kids counting down and having Halloween fun with this sweet little rhyme. The video shows simple ways to introduce Halloween concepts in a non-scary way.

Here are the ghosts (you can see lots more about them here and here, too!):

And here's the video:

Another Halloween Rhyme!

This Halloween felt board rhyme is simple and sweet. It exposes the kids to Halloween vocabulary words and concepts in a way that is sweet instead of scary. Using this type of felt board rhyme, with visuals to go along with the words, helps those little brains absorb all that early learning goodness 😊

Here are the felt pieces I used in the video:

Here are the lyrics:

Lots of Halloween friends, some are spooky some are sweet…

A friendly witch and some candy--that’s a yummy treat.

Here come some black ones now—bubbling cauldron… prowling cat.

And now two spooky fliers—white ghost and brown bat.

We need a jack-o-lantern, to shine on Halloween night.

And here’s a wiggly spider--it might give you a fright!

This little house is haunted—I won’t go inside those rooms!

This witch’s hat is pointy and it makes a great costume.

So many Halloween friends we have, some spooky, some sweet…

And don’t forget on Halloween Night to say “Trick or Treat!”

And here's video:

I Went Trick or Treating!

 Ah, another not-scary-at-all Halloween rhyme!

I don't like to scare kids.  But I do like Halloween :)  So let's put not-scary Halloween fun into the mix this year with this simple Halloween felt board rhyme!

I like this one because it has fun Halloween vocabulary words like "swooping" and "costume" mixed with colors and rhyming...   A witch's brew of Halloween early learning delight, if you will :) 

You can learn all the words and join in on the rhyme--here's the video demo for you:

Halloween Big Fun!

I think I was feeling nostalgic for my carefree childhood days when I made this huge Halloween felt board set.  I loved all the commercialized, candy-filled holidays when I was a kid, LOL.  The colors of Halloween decorations--orange, purple, black and green--were always one of my favorite combinations.  Covering the windows in our house with witches and ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and cauldrons...  It was just plain FUN.

So, those were all on my mind when I made this set.  I just wanted it to be full of cute Halloween fun, and of course I wanted it to be super useful, too.  There are plenty of felt board sets that go with just one particular song or story.  I need my sets to be multi-use--two or three songs or games per set, at least!

This one fits the bill.

Play Little Broom (a Halloween version of Little Mouse)  with these cuties, hiding the adorable laminated witch's broom under the pieces. 

Little Broom, little broom, we're searching far and near!

Are you under this black cat?  Let's look under here!

Or use the pieces for a Halloween version of Brown Bear, but sprinkle in Halloween vocabulary of course!

And maybe my favorite way to play with these is to use the pieces in a Halloween version of The Enormous Turnip, with all the characters working together to get that huge pumpkin off the vine...

Happy Halloween!

More Felt Board Ghost fun!

 Yep, ghosts are perfect for BINGO variations.  But that's not all those cuties are good for.  How about a little hide and seek?  Oh, with color naming, rhyming and rhythm, and FUN thrown in for good measure.  I've got you!  Sounds like we need a candy corn and ghost version of Little Mouse, yes?  

Yes.

Here they are on video!

Candy corn, candy corn, playing hide and seek, 

are you behind the purple ghost??  Let's take a peek!

Or...

Candy corn, candy corn, I'm looking everywhere!  

Are you behind the green ghost?  Let's check under there!

Happy Halloween!

Ghost Bingo Felt Board Set

 

It's no secret that I love a good variation on BINGO.  Some of my favorites include T-R-U-C-K, 

T-R-A-I-N, and A-P-P-L-E.  You can read about them here, and here, or for a quick review:

But kids don't just love food and vehicles, you know.  They are fans of the holidays as well.  So I thought, why not give them a little not-so-spooky fun...  And if we can mix in a little early literacy without them even knowing, we'll feel super smart and sneaky, won't we.  Why yes, yes we will.  

The things I don't like about Halloween:  being scared and getting cavities.  Neither of those are involved in this cute Halloween ghost set, so here you go!

There is a spooky friend I know and ghost is his name-O.

G-H-O-S-T, G-H-O-S-T, G-H-O-S-T, and ghost is his name-O!

 

Flip over the G to reveal the “boo” on the other side.  For the next verse, replace “G” with “boo”!  Continue in this way until you’re just boo-ing away. 

 

There is a spooky friend I know, and ghost is his name-O.

Boo-H-O-S-T, Boo-H-O-S-T, Boo-H-O-S-T and GHOST is his name-O!

 

You can certainly make this is silly as you'd like, exclaiming BOO! in sppoooky, long drawn out ways, or short, surprising ways!  Quiet boos.  Loud boos.  Medium, fast, slow.  No matter what, your kids will be boo-booing, and not boo-hooing, so it's a win :)

Oh, and I can't leave out my favorite Halloween book that just goes along perfectly with these cute ghosts:

Happy Halloween!

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!

Ghosts

I wanted to add a few Halloween sets to my stash, and I don't have a ghost set.  But I was just sort of uninspired by the clipart ghost selection I found...  Enter Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde (and their un-named friend)!  Perhaps you recognize them from an old video game...

I've got other ghosts too:  right here :)  and here!

I found the following poem at One Little Librarian (thanks Amy!)

This Little Ghost

This little ghost went trick or treating!

This little ghost stayed home.

This little ghost ate candy.

And this little ghost had none.

And this little ghost cried BOO! BOO! BOO! all the way home!

And I'll also use two of the ghosts for this one:

Two Little Ghosts

There were two little ghosts looking at you

One named Wheee and the other named BOO!

Fly away Wheee, Fly away Booo!

Come back Wheee, Come back Booo!

If you're a Halloween fan, I bet you'll love 

my Halloween Playlist over on my YouTube channel!

Kathryn at Fun with Friends at Storytime is hosting the Flannel Friday Roundup this week, and you can find so many other flannel board ideas on Facebook, Pinterest, and the Flannel Friday blog! 

Five Little Pumpkins

These things have been a life saver this year in my Two Year Old class!  One of my little girls has been having a hard time with coming to school and being away from home for the first time.  One morning when she was having a particularly tear-filled morning, I remembered her mom mentioning that she loved the book Five Little Pumpkins.  I quickly pulled the book from it's spot in our musical books basket, and ran to the drawer full of finger puppets to nab these fellows.  The minute she saw them, all was well!  She carried at least one of the jack-o-lantern finger puppets around with her the rest of the morning, and we did the chant at least ten times that day!

Of course there are also the more traditional ways to use these :)  I put them on when we're reading the book or just saying the chant.  Sometimes we invite the children up and each child puts on a finger puppet (or holds a laminated, large pumpkin) and speaks their part of the chant.  This one just never gets old :)

You can find lots of felt songs and stories like this in my shop!

Flannel Friday's Halloween Extravaganza is being hosted by Lisa at Thrive After Three!

You can find many more ideas on Pinterest, and learn more about Flannel Friday on Facebook or the FF blog!

It's a Costume!

I've been holding off on posting this till the Flannel Friday Halloween Extravaganza, so now's the time!  I made this over a year ago, and if I were doing it now I would have copied the idea but not the exact pieces.  It is adorable, but I wish I had made it my own instead of just plagiarizing...Oh, well!

This flannel board poem is definitely one of the most popular chants I've done with children!  I love it because it addresses that "I'm a little worried about this whole costume thing" issue that some kids have at Halloween, and also because it is adorable.  Sue at Library Village is responsible for both redeeming qualities!  I copied and pasted her images, printed them out, and used them as my templates.  

That's a Costume - by Miss Sue (with a few changes by me)

Over there I see a ghost!  My, oh my, a scary ghost!!

Mom (or Dad, or The Grown Ups) says "Oh, it's all okay--it's just a costume! Take it away-

And you’ll see it’s your friend sheep, out on Halloween night!"

The children picked up on the poem immediately.  They love it so much that I scanned my pieces, printed them out on card stock, laminated them and applied velcro to the animals.  I showed the kids how to use them on table top flannel boards (since the costumes won't stick to the animals, the kid version doesn't work on the vertical flannel board they often like to use), and they use these constantly whenever we have them available. 

Flannel Friday's Halloween Extravaganza is being hosted by Lisa at Thrive After Three!

You can find many more ideas on Pinterest, and learn more about Flannel Friday on Facebook or the FF blog!

Find more holiday felt goodies in my shop!

Halloween Finger Puppets

These adorable guys are based on patterns from PreciousPatterns on Etsy.  Like my Christmas Finger Puppet Set, these Halloween creatures are not actually finger puppets--but they certainly can be made as puppets if that's what you want to do.  I chose to save time and just glued them together instead. Children can use these to tell stories on a small felt board, or adults can use them to accompany songs or stories.  I like the fact that they're all pretty cute, which can take away some of the spooky aspect of Halloween that isn't much fun for some of our littlest kids.  (There was a skull pattern, and I chose not to use it.)

These Halloween cuties are sold out, but you can find lots of other holiday felt goodies right here!

Flannel Friday's Halloween Extravaganza is being hosted by Lisa at Thrive After Three!

You can find many more ideas on Pinterest, and learn more about Flannel Friday on Facebook or the FF blog!

Make a Jack-O-Lantern

This is a super simple idea that can be used on a table at home, in a classroom or library; with individual flannel boards; or as a group participation activity to go along with Halloween themed stories.  Cute, fun, and sugar free Halloween fun!

For a group time, or at home with your own kids, you could pass out the various pieces and ask children to come up and help you build the faces.  Think about all the shape and color naming and recognition that will happen as you say "If you have a yellow circle, bring it up to the board!"  "If you have a shape that has three sides, bring it on up!"  

Build even more math skills with this set by having the children help you sort all the black shapes onto one section of the board; all the yellow onto another...  Count how many round shapes you have.  Count how many corners there are...  The possibilities are pretty endless!

Here are some possible Halloween stories to go along with this set:

If You’re a Monster and You Know It by Ed Emberly

Where’s My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi

Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman 

Frankenstein by Rick Walton       

One, Two…Boo! By Kristen Dempken

Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas

These cuties are sold out, but you can find lots of other holiday felt goodies right here!

Flannel Friday's Halloween Extravaganza is being hosted by Lisa at Thrive After Three!

You can find many more ideas on Pinterest, and learn more about Flannel Friday on Facebook or the FF blog!

Halloween Scene

I'm still adding to my collection of sets that children can use independently.  Here's a link to my other sets if you're interested :)
I've got holidays on my mind for some reason!  I think the heat that's finally arrived has me longing for cool fall days.  Halloween, anyone?

In my three year old classroom we sing various Halloween songs and chants, and I think the children will naturally sing them as they play with these pieces.  And of course those children who are a little anxious or fearful about some Halloween-related topics can get a sense of control, as well as time to talk about those fears, as they manipulate this set.

This set is sold out, but lots of other holiday sets await you in my shop. I hope you'll visit me there!

Flannel Friday is being hosted this week by Kathryn at Fun With Friends at Storytime.  Check out the round up there, and don't forget to find more amazing flannel board ideas at Pinterest and Facebook and the Flannel Friday Blog!

Monster Set

Building on my collection of sets for children to use independently, here are some monsters!  (See my other post on Monsters for reasons I like to use them in the classroom.)

  These pieces are all interchangeable!  Mix and match and make your very own scary, silly, friendly, sad, mad, worried, three-, or one-, or two-eyed monster!

Flannel Friday is being hosted this week by our Fine Flannel Friday Founder Melissa!  You would be remiss not to check out Flannel Friday on Pinterest, and can find more FF info on the Flannel Friday Blog!

Five Friendly Monsters...or are they Aliens?

These are stolen!  I saw them at Falling Flannelboards and had to have them!  Their eyeballs are so cute, and we love to talk about 'eyeballs' in my three-year-old class...

This particular set isn't for sale, but please check out my shop with many of my other sets:

Flannel Board Fun Shop

We use these (little, friendly, or silly) guys as either monsters or aliens.  We've had them jump on a bed or in a crib as monsters, and they've also bounced on planets when we call them aliens.  When you first say "monster" to young children, you might get some fearful looks--but by calling them friendly or silly, and by giggling at their adorable eyeballs, and by having them bounce around in a baby's crib, for goodness sake, the fears can be dispelled a bit. I also have a laminated set of these so the children can handle them often, giving them a little more control over something that might be a scary concept.

Flannel Friday is being hosted this week by Emily at Literary Hoots.  You can also find lots of wonderful ideas at Pinterest and Facebook.