Felt Christmas Tree

          Christmas Tree 
 
         Manipulative activities for youngsters is so very important.    I saw a stuffed felt Christmas tree on Pinterest and was intrigued.  It looked like something I could make for my grandchildren and nephews. 
             
           Now is a great time to get started on an activity for you little ones for the Christmas season. 

           I made a form from cardboard which is about two feet tall.  The large triangle shapes were glued together using a hot glue gun.   I used tacky glue to fasten the felt to the cardboard tree.    Then the tree form was filled with styro-foam packing peanuts to keep it light yet firm.       Finally, the felt bottom of the tree shape  was stitched in place to keep the tree together. 
           
          An old Advent calendar with little felt ornaments happened to be in my basement. These felt ornaments hung on to the felt of the tree much like a felt board.  The ornaments were the perfect size for little fingers and my tree.

           My granddaughter is 18 months old.   As you can see, she spend a lot of time arranging and rearranging the ornaments on her little tree. 

               We all need those quiet moments to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas, even the very small child.

  So start working on manipulatives for the young ones in your family.   You will not regret it.

           I have linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the Five for Friday Weekly Linky Party.     Lots of great ideas for the new year and winter months.
  www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com 

      Merry Christmas to all 

and to all 

a Good Night!

 

 

Please leave a comment if you have a minute. I'd love to hear from you.

Beti

Advent Calendar

       A Family Tradition

       Many years ago my  children received an Advent calendar from my husband's aunt.  She had made felt ornaments to attach to a felt tree.   All of the cousins used these Advent calendars as they waited patiently for Christmas to come each year for about 30 years. Aunt Marian had made four Advent calendars, one for each family.    Each ornament had its own little pocket, 24 in all.

       Two years ago, my two sister-in-laws and I decided that we would make an Advent calendar for our children now that they were grown and living on their own.    Some were married and having children.    We wanted this tradition to carry on for the next generation. 

       We divided up the 24 ornaments.   Each of us would make 8.    We had to make 12 of each ornament for our combined 12 children.  

       From the top we made sleighs, angels, train engines, drums, piggy banks, houses, stockings, candles, holly leaves, wrapped gifts, horses, snowmen, bells, gingerbread men, hearts, ornaments, tin soldiers, fish, birds, wreaths, candy canes, apples, mittens, and puppy dogs.   The stars at the top were made by our Aunt Marian. 

      Here is the tree before trimming at the beginning of Advent.   All the ornaments are tucked into a numbered pocket.

         And the tree on Christmas Eve all decorated.    The little ones love to choose an ornament and snap it on the tree.   This is great for eye hand coordination.     Children can talk about the colors and shapes of each ornament while placing them on the tree. 

         We added a Nativity scene under our Advent trees.    My sister-in-law found the darling set of buttons and had to purchase them.    They add a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of Advent and Christmas.

      
     
Beti
 

Felt Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Old MacDonald Had 
a Farm  
                 A felt Old MacDonald Barn sounded like a good idea when my 18 month old granddaughter wanted to watch a "Old MacDonald" video over and over, and OVER again.  I wanted her to be able to have a more hands on experience with Old Mac Donald Had a Farm than just screen time.

            So,   I found a little candy box, about  4 by 4 inches.  Covering with felt to resemble a small barn was done with Tacky glue  to adhere the felt to the box. I know this is a Very basic barn.

  
       Then I worked on  some small felt animals to fit into the barn. You will have to excuse my hand sewing because it is really not very good, but I think they are kind of cute. 

       This  barn is made from a tin  Altoids box. It has a different shape with a hinged top. All the animals fit quite well.

          
           A duck is always a popular animal on the farm, with a quack, quack here, and a quack, quack there.

        
            A chick, chicken, or hen makes a good sound in the barnyard," Peep, Peep"!

                 This quiet little lamb makes a nice Baa- Baa sound on the farm.

          You can't sing "Old MacDonald had a Farm" without a pig.  The Oink- Oink here is very special to little ones.

      Last but not least is a cute brown cow that says Moo.

         Singing the Old MacDonald song is  a staple in every child's young learning life.  The tactile experience of opening the barn to pick up the next animal is enriching. As we sing the song, and make the animal sounds, each animal moves around the farm.  Then the barn is opened for the next animal in the song. This animal can be the next on the pile or the choice of the child.

         I feel this type of experience is more beneficial to the young child than watching the videos.  Watching videos for our children is so much fun, but screen time should be limited and not over done.

        Please, interact, sing, dance, and read with your young children. These are so very important event in their lives. They are young for such a short time.  They will grow up so very fast and this experience will be gone forever.

        I remember my mother and grandmother singing a song to me.  "When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother what would what would I be? Would I be pretty , would I be rich? Here's what she said to me. Que sera, sera, what ever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see, Que sera, sera."  This song is from 1956 written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. Doris Day sang it so beautifully.

       Please leave a message if you have a minute to spare in your busy day. I'd love to hear from any readers.

Beti  

Five Little Monkeys

Five Little Monkeys

            Five Little Monkeys is such a wonderful finger play for the young toddler.  These children are beginning to listen and repeat actions and words. They love rhyming sounds and silly songs.  What better song than "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"?  
          
            I made these little finger puppets for my granddaughter. Riding in the car seat for a long trip can be very boring a for the child as well as the adults.  But I would rather hear Five Little Monkeys jumping on the bed than a child whining or crying unnecessarily.
           
           Some little distractions like this will definitely help with the sanity of the adults in your car. Spend a few quality minutes with your child instead of putting on a video. Remember that children benefit more from adult interaction than screen time. 

          As you can see, there is nothing fancy about these finger puppets, and you can whip these up quickly on a sewing machine with minimal sewing skills.

               These little monkeys needed a little bed to jump on. A little tin  Altoids box was the perfect size.  I cut a little blanket and pillow from some felt and glued it to the lid of the tin. Hopefully, you can use your imagination to see the little bed. The five little monkeys can sleep inside when not jumping on the bed.  This little tin can be popped into a purse or diaper bag.

              As you can tell from my blog,  I am a proponent of being with and doing as much as you can with your young child as you possibly can.  Our children are young for such a very short time.  They grow up so very fast.  Don't let another opportunity pass you by.  
         
       Today I linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the Five for Friday linky.  Check out all the other blogs who have linked up, too.

www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com

            Please leave a comment if you have a minute.  I'd love to read your thoughts.

Beti

Flowers Quite Book

Flowers 
       During the past year  I have started to make quiet books for my granddaughters.  I have looked at many different styles and techniques on Pinterest to gather my ideas.  In the process, I have tried to put my own spin on the quiet books that I have made. 

     This page, as you can see is in progress.  Very narrow green ribbon was used for the flower stems and felt was used for the leaves.  I color coordinated the button centers with the different colored petals.  Though I'm  not sure whether the girls will keep them that way or not as they play with the books.

      My granddaughter was about 18 months when she received the book.  She liked unbuttoning the flowers and matching the colors.

                
        If you notice, below the book, there is a purple watering can with light blue yarn for water.  This is attached with a ribbon.  She enjoyed watering the flowers and making a a water sound.

             
              A  rainbow page is also part of this book.   As we all know, " April showers bring May flowers". Beads were used to make the rainbow with a cloud in two of the corners.  The sun is shining with yellow and sparkle gold ribbon sun rays. This page is on a light blue material with darker blue spots.  It reminded me of a light April shower. 

          I tried to make the pages interactive as much as possible to keep interest flowing.  Some people make their quiet books with numerous pages.  I have kept my books to a simple theme. So there is a front cover, two inside pages, and a back cover.  They are not too bulky and measure 9 x 11 inches.

         As you can tell, I am in the beginning stages of quiet book making and have so much to learn.  My hope is that the girls will enjoy my creations as much as I have loved making them.

       Please leave a comment if you have a spare minute in your busy day.  I'd love to read your thoughts.  

       Enjoy this beautiful day and your life.


Beti