Flannel Friday: Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash

After taking a long break from FF during which I just copied flannels that I've admired by other Flannel Fridayers, my offering this week was made by my colleague Lou to tell the story Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks with a clothesline. I love Lou's detailed pieces!  Many of them are even double-sided to make them sturdier to last through multiple uses by children.

And here's what part of it looks like on the line:

Of course, we passed out the flannel pieces and asked children to come and hang their items on the line when they were mentioned in the story.  It was a hit!  We found a few pics of flannelized or photocopy-and-laminate clothesline versions of the book on various blogs, so we don't know who to credit with the original idea. And although we chose not to use them, there are some Mrs. McNosh activities and printables available here.

When we someday do Mrs. McNosh again, we'll figure out a way to stabilize our line--we just tied it between two chairs, but as pieces were added, some twisted up and around so that they weren't all hanging straight down.  There are so many pieces that it might work better with a few smaller lines rather than one long one.

Since Halloween is over now and there's no rush, next week I'll post the flannel song I used for the two weeks leading up to Halloween.

Check out all of this week's Flannel Friday posts here.

Happy Friday!

Flannel Friday: Hide-and-Seek Mice: A Flannel Rhyme

For an upcoming storytime with a "Let's Play" theme, I made my own original hide-and-seek flannel game rhyme.  In the photo, the mice are visible, but for the game/rhyme, I'll hide them behind the chimney, the hole in the tree, the window, the door, the doghouse, some grass, and the flower.  (I accidentally left the grass out of the photo.)  The line for the window might be a bit too obscure for toddlers...I may revise it after I see how they respond.

Hide-and-Seek Mice

Can you find me? Where can I be?

I’m where Santa comes in with gifts all for me.

Can you find me? Where did I hide?

A squirrel lives here, deep down inside.

Can you find me? Where, oh, where?

Look close at my hiding place, and you’ll see yourself there.

Can you find me?  Where have I been?

My favorite hiding place is soft and green.      

    

Can you find me? What will you do?

I’m behind something you can walk through.

Can you find me? It’s very dark,

In this place I share with someone who says, “Bark.”

Can you find me? I’m the last one,

Behind something that grows on a stem in the sun.

Check out this week's Flannel Friday roundup at Roving Fiddlehead Kidlit!

Flannel Friday:" I Wish I Were" flannel song

The last week of our summer program is Dreams and Wishes week, and I've had a mental block about what to do between stories at storytime.  I couldn't think of a good wishing game that would work with 40+ children, but as I was searching the Internet for inspiration, I came across a song on the Toronto Public Library's web site, and I've written new lyrics to fit my own storytime.  You can find the original song here.  I'm not completely happy with my lyrics yet, so I may revise them before I do the storytime during the second week of July.  I'm thinking this could be adapted for themed storytimes, using all jungle animals or sea creatures or whatever the theme happens to be.

I Wish I Were (sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It")
Oh, I wish I were a floating butterfly, (2 x)
I’d go flutter, flutter, fly in the bright blue sunny sky,
Oh, I wish I were a floating butterfly.

Oh, I wish I were a shiny little fish, (2 x)
I’d go swimmy, swimmy, glide in the big blue ocean tide,
Oh, I wish I were a shiny little fish.

Oh, I wish I were a silver airplane, (2 x)
I’d go soar, soar, soar as my engines loudly roar,
Oh, I wish I were a silver airplane.

Oh, I wish I were a tall, tall leafy tree, (2 x)
I’d be a place to rest for the birdies in their nest,
Oh, I wish I were a tall, tall leafy tree.

Oh, I wish I were a green and speckled frog, (2 x)
I’d go croaky, croaky, croak as I jump into the brook,
Oh, I wish I were a green and speckled frog.

Oh, I wish I were a bright and shining star, (2 x)
I’d go twinkle, twinkle, spark in the nighty nighttime dark,
Oh, I wish I were a bright and shining star.

This week's Flannel Friday roundup is being hosted by Sarah at Read It Again!

Flannel Friday: Five Little Rockets

This week’s flannel is for toddler storytime during our Space Adventures week of the summer library program.  The rhyme comes from a link to teaching materials on NASA’s web page at: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/147266main_3.2.1.Liftoff_Activity11.pdf.  I’ve changed the last verse so it makes sense for one rocket, and I’ve added a countdown to blast off.  We can’t possibly have a rocket rhyme without a countdown!

Five Little Rockets

Five little rockets ready to zoom,

This one says, “There’s not enough room.”

It starts its engine;

Ready to fly,

Looks at the others and waves good-bye.

Four little rockets…[continue counting down to one rocket]

One little rocket ready to zoom,

This one says, “Everyone’s gone!”

It starts its engine;

Ready to fly,

Looks at us and waves good-bye.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off!

We’ll also do a song from the same NASA page, sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”:

I’m a Little Rocket

I’m a little rocket, tall and thin.  [stand with arms stretched overhead]

Here is my nose cone.  [fingertips meet overhead to form cone]

Here is my fin. [hold arms from sides pointing down like fins]

When I get all fired up,

Launch begins.

Watch me rise  [jump up]

And see me spin! [spin in place]

The Flannel Friday roundup this week is at Recipe for Reading!

Flannel Friday: Sleeping Bag Chant

One of my favorite storytime CDs is H.U.M.: Highly Usable Music by Carole Peterson, and this summer in toddler storytime, we’re doing her “Sleeping Bag Chant” every week during the summer library program.    This week’s flannel figures are visual cues to help us remember the critters in this cumulative chant.  

The chant on the CD has verses for owl, bat, ghost, and add-your-own animal, but we’re going to do it without the CD and I’ve added several of my own.  Here are the lyrics:

Sleeping Bag Chant

I was lying in my sleeping bag—I couldn’t get to sleep

When the wind began to howl and the bugs began to creep.

So I rolled to the left and I rolled to the right

And I heard every sound that you hear at night—

Owl.  Hoo hoo.

Repeat the chant with:

bat (flap, flap)

ghost (whooooooooo)

and add-your-own, but I’m adding …

coyote (aroooooo, aroooo)

cat (meow, meow)

mouse (squeak, squeak)

bunny (hop hop)

and cricket (chirp, chirp)

Each time a new creature/sound is added, we will repeat the previous ones, too. I can’t wait!  The chant has been stuck in my head all week!  If I had smaller groups for storytime, I would pass out drums and we would drum to the chant, but our toddler groups are already huge and get even bigger during the summer, so we’ll just keep time by patting our legs. 

The owl is a miniature version of Sunflower Storytime's template, and for the rest, I used clip art from a database to which my library subscribes.  

At my other library, we're doing the chant as part of our shadow puppet show on June 13th, but we're still working on the puppets, so I'll post a pic when they're done.

This week the Flannel Friday roundup is being hosted by Lisa at Libraryland.

Flannel Song: Little Sandman

Our summer library program starts in just over a week, and this week’s flannel song is for storytime that week.  We’re using the national theme, Dream Big: Read, and our subthemes are Asleep and Dreaming, Night Owls,  Space Adventures, Night Shivers, and Dreams and Wishes.  My flannel for week 1, Asleep and Dreaming, is “Little Sandman,” the Brahms lullaby.  I’ve seen at least two different versions of the lyrics, but I took my favorite bits from each and combined them into this version.  During the last verse, I'll sprinkle a little clear glitter onto the flannel child's face.

Little Sandman

Beneath the silvery moonlight

Like tiny sparkling gems

The flowers all are sleeping

Upon their slender stems.

The trees wave gently to and fro

And whisper soft and low

Slumber, slumber,

Oh, sleep my little one.

The birds you heard this morning

Have long since gone to rest

And now are close together

Safe in their downy nest

And there they lie so still and warm

Secure from every harm.

Slumber, slumber,

Oh, sleep my little one.

Now comes the little sandman

In every house he’ll peep

To find the wakeful children

Who will not go to sleep

And then a little sand he tries

To sprinkle in their eyes.

Slumber, slumber

Oh, sleep my little one.

I’m going to be brave and try this a cappella…we’ll see how it goes. This is the most subdued flannel song I’ve tried, so I hope my storytime children will enjoy it. 

Check out all of this week's Flannel Friday posts here.

Boo Hoo Bird Flannel Story

This week's creation is Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard, for a bird-themed storytime in two weeks.  I tried to make my felt figures look just like characters in the book.  I can't wait to tell the story in storytime! I love Mr. Tankard's books!

This is my first contribution to Flannel Friday!  You can check out all of this week's Flannel Friday creations here.