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

Felt Nativity with Finger Puppets

Nativity Play Scene
and Finger Puppets

     It is never too early to start planning for Christmas!

      I decided to make felt Nativity scenes for my granddaughters to play with.   They needed something unbreakable and quiet to interact with for a quiet play activity.   The Bible story of Mary and Joseph coming to a simple stable for the birth of Jesus was the perfect setting for this felt play set.    Nothing too fancy, just the basics.

      Making the finger puppets a was  the beginning of the project.   Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus were the first to be made.    Two of each were stitched from small scraps of felt and embroidery floss.     Mary is about 3 1/4 inches tall and Joseph is about 3 3/4 inches. Each is about 1 3/4 inches wide.

       A small brown manger with hay has a pocket for the Baby Jesus to sleep peacefully. The manger is attached to a pocket in the stable.   With this pocket,  Mary and Joseph are able stand in front of or behind the manger to watch over their new born child.

     The Three Kings are different heights in the same range as Mary and Joseph.  They are each carrying a different shiny gift.   As I said before,  nothing fancy but durable for many hours of play by little ones.

        This Nativity scene would not be complete without a donkey.    Mary rode on  the donkey's back on the long journey to Bethlehem.   We all remember the "Little Drummer Boy" song during the Christmas holidays.      A little drummer boy finger puppet was added so the girls could sing a song when they play.

          A smiling angel is always around to protect and watch over the Christ Child.   You can see the angel standing behind the manger.    The angel is able to watch over the Holy Family in a small pocket near the star on the top of the stable.    The star will guide the Three Kings or Wise men to see the New Born King.



        The play scene has plastic canvas in between the inside and outside.   This plastic sheet gives the felt strength and helps the Nativity play scene to stand up on its own.   Felt pockets are secured to the insides of each panel.    The pockets are designed to hold the finger puppets in place when the scene is closed after play. 

          As you can see, the " tan colored ground" folds up into the play scene.    The two sides fold in and are secured with velcro.    A handle made of green grow grain ribbon was stitched on so that this play set can be easily carried by a young child.

           I hope this Nativity Play Scene will give you the incentive to make something like this for a young child that you know and love. 

    

Happy Sewing!

Beti

Gooey Play

    

Goo 

and More Goo!

            Today I mixed together  2 T. of sugar and 1/4 cup of cornstarch.   This mixture was added to 1 cup of cold water in a small sauce pan. I found this recipe on one of Martha Stewart's blogs. ( Martha Stewart's recipe calls for 4 T. sugar, 1/2 cup of cornstarch, and 2 cups cold water).   Then sugar and cornstarch was stirred into the water heated over medium heat.    Stirring constantly while heating the mixture began to thicken.   When heated and stirred the mixture will be smooth.    This mixture will continue to thicken after it is removed from the heat.

            I stored the gooey mixture in a plastic container.  You can add food coloring to make a "finger paint" if you wish.  I did not try this.  We were thoroughly entertained with the white goo.  
        

                As you can see, this toddler used her Ernie in the goo.   Just another addition to the the tactile experience.
          
            I did let my little one spread the goo on a blue sheet of construction paper.  Prior to the activity, I used masking tape to form the outline of a snowman ☃.  After the goo was applied to the paper, coarse salt was sprinkled on the goo to give a snowy effect.   You can see where the masking tape was removed from the paper.

     
  I'm not sure which way the paper is turned to look more like a snowman.   This did not turn out the way I had planned.    Oh well, sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.   I always tell my kids that I learn something new every day.    I guess I'll have to do a little more experimenting with this goo. 

          This was a good activity for a January day or any rainy day during the spring or fall.   There are some days we could not get outside to play.    January or any winter month in Michigan can be a difficult time to get your kiddos out doors for play time.

 Enjoy the day!  I will!
     Beti

Hello Mr. Gecko

Hello, Mr. Gecko!

        Spending time in Arizona means you will see a different variety of animals from the assortment we have in Michigan.    One of my granddaughter's favorite pass times is looking for geckos.      Baby geckos, Dada geckos, Mamma geckos, large and small, are so much fun to look for in the yard.     I should say, on the outside walls of the house.     These little guys are so very fast, and they blend into their environment so well.   So looking for them is a challenge.    But they like to hang out there in the hot Arizona sun and sun themselves.

      I have to say that I'm not sure that "gecko" is the correct term for this little reptile, but that is what my granddaughter calls them.    If you know the correct name for this little guy, please feel free to leave me a comment.
   

      Well, one afternoon while cleaning up after lunch, Mr. Gecko decided to come into the house and walk around on the kitchen window sill.     He startled me to say the least.  Then I had to figure out how to catch the little guy and get him back outside where he belonged.       He was hanging out on the windowsill between the blinds and the window behind the kitchen sink.
  
     First,  I had to clear all the dishes, cups, etc. from in and around the sink.    I needed to have easy access when trying to catch a very, very fast gecko.   Then what am I to use to trap him?    I had a good size plastic bag from grapes.   You know the kind with the little holes in the sides.  

    Mr. Gecko needed to be cornered so I could carefully get him to run into the bag.   As you can see in the picture, he was near the side of the window.    Lucky, he did run into the bag without me making a lot of noise.    By the way, I was doing this while my granddaughter was taking an afternoon nap in her crib.   Her bedroom is adjacent to the kitchen.

    So now what do you do with a trapped gecko?     Of course I could not just let him go.  My granddaughter would have been terribly disappointed not to see the gecko close up.

      You put the gecko into a bucket for safe keeping, of course!

       Now he was only in the bucket for about an hour before my granddaughter woke up from he nap.    Needless to say, she was very excited to see Mr. Gecko.
We had a good time pointing and talking  to him.
    
         A few weeks earlier by accident another gecko fell off the side of the house and into this same bucket.    He tried to jump out.       As you can imagine, this scared my daughter and granddaughter.     When she sees a gecko, she shakes her finger and says, "No, No, Mr. Gecko, don't scare us!"

     We placed the bucket on its side so Mr. Gecko could  leave when he was ready.     I didn't want him jumping up at us this time.     Eventually, Mr. Gecko went on his merry way. 
  
         This is one of Mr. Gecko's friends.      He is much darker in color than the other gecko.      This one is climbing down the outside of the house.

       We are visiting our family in Florida now.   What do you know?  There are geckos here, too!   Well that's all for today.    No geckos in Michigan.      Enjoy the  weather where ever you live no matter what time of the year.

Please leave a comment if you find the time.  I'd love to hear from you.

Beti

Fabric Travel Doll House

Fabric 

Doll House 

       
              There have been so many fabric doll houses on Pinterest lately.    Or maybe they just started to catch my eye.  I enjoy making toys out of felt and different kinds of fabric, so fabric doll houses would be a natural progression for me to try to work on.  

    
               Here is a look at the inside of my fabric doll house.      The house lays flat and can be folded for easy storage.      It measures 26 inches from top to bottom and is 2 and a half feet across.       At this point you can see pins around the edges of the house.      I was beginning to hand stitch the house together.
   
       The central section has a light blue gingham "rug" on the floor.      The back wall has the table and two chairs.      An large ice cream treat is waiting on the table to tempt anyone who comes to visit.      Hung on the back wall is a festive banner ready for any celebration.

         There is a picture of the family dog hanging over the warm cozy fire place on the left side wall.        Across the room is a Christmas tree with a smiling snowman button behind the ladder that leads to the upstairs loft. 

           The embellishments were made from scrap flannel fabric and stitched securely onto  the base fabric before the house was assembled.

         The green lawn is felt with a burlap path winding through the middle.  A small pond, trees, and flowers add to the outdoors feel. 

 
           The outside of the fabric house is also embellished.     A black front door with a button door knob is surrounded with a green vine with yellow flowers.       The vine was machine stitched and the flowers and French knots.     Next to the window is a felt mailbox and a tiny pink button flower to add contrast and dimension.     I stitched their last name on the mailbox in place of  the white label.     One side of the house has a wildflower garden made from assorted colorful buttons with machine stitched stems. 

         At the top of the picture you can see the striped roof with a pink ribbon.   This will become the carrying handle once the house is folded up.  If you look closely you can see loops sewn around the outside edge of the roof and front of the house.   These will be used with buttons to securely close the house when your child is finished playing. 
 NOTE:
      After my granddaughters played with their houses for a while, the elastic loops became unattached.     I will need to use velcro to make tabs to close the house more securely.       I learn something new every day!    And I am not ashamed to make mistakes.  That's what I told my students and now what I tell my grandchildren.    Live and Learn!

      The house walls and floor are reinforced with sheets of plastic canvas.  These light weight  sheets of plastic make the walls sturdy yet flexible. 

        Recently I  made some princess finger puppets which were  the perfect size for this play house!

             

            As  you can see the house has been played with and is quite durable. It takes the strain of a toddler sitting on and it it.

     This little house was so much fun to make and embellish.

  Happy Sewing!

Beti

Halloween Finger Puppets

Halloween  

Finger Puppets
Boo!

       

         Everyone enjoys the Fall season and the anticipation of Halloween.
Finger puppets are a good activity for little ones to begin to interact with some Halloween characters. It's never too early the start thinking about Halloween especially if you are making something for your little ones.

     I like to use Altiod tins as a finger puppet to keep my finger puppets safe and sound in their "little houses" after playtime has ended.  The young child can always find their finger puppets when they are placed into their little house.
These have a simple pumpkin on the top to identify the correct container.

        A little orange jack-o-lantern with a big smile is always around during Halloween.  Black bats are a favorite at this time of year, but with a friendly little face.  Ghosts that say "Boo!" can't be left out of this group. Finally a cute little brown owl that says, "Whoo! " rounds out this little group. 

       Finger Puppets are a great activity to take on an airplane, in the car on a long trip or just at home.  They are wonderful for language development and communication skills.  Fine motor skills are developed when each finger puppet is being placed on different fingers of each hand. Color recognition is developed with the variety of bright colors.  Story telling can be incorporated with these Halloween friends in everyday play. 

        Today I linked up with Forever in 5th Grade for Show and Tell Tuesday Fall is Here.

       Stephanie has some great pictures of her cute puppies. Check them out.

 www.foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com
      
 Enjoy the fall season with family and friends!

Beti 

Ideas for a busy toddler

          The
Busy Toddler
    Toddlers are wonderful and full of energy.  They need many new manipulatives to keep them busy, stimulated, learning, and interested.  Many every day objects can be new and stimulating to a toddler.

      Plastic or paper cups are in everyone's cupboards. They can be stacked and sorted by size, shape, and color. No one will be upset if one gets broken or lost. The cups are quiet when knocked down and bounce in a delightful way.

         
      These little paper cups are a new surface to be colored on. The inside, outside surfaces and the bottom are available for new colors. 

           Sidewalk chalk is another easy way to keep a toddler busy. The colors are a wonderful addition to a plain driveway or sidewalk.  The best part is that your space is almost limitless in the eyes of a child. They are not constrained by the size of the paper or chalkboard.  Their lines can go on and on and on. 
         Many gardens have smooth stones.  These make a wonderful canvas for sidewalk chalk or water color paint for that matter. Colorful stones are quite eye catching for toddlers.

       Pom poms  are another simple yet delightful manipulative.  They come in assorted sizes and colors, some even have sparkles.  Pom poms can be sorted by using muffin tins, small boxes, egg cartons, ice cube trays, or anything you may have around the house.  A plastic toothbrush holder from the dollar store has good size holes, big enough for a pom pom to fit through. This is great for working on eye hand coordination and fine motor skills. Best of all, they are quiet and will keep your toddler busy for quite a while.

        Bubbles whipped into a foam is an enjoyable tactile experience. Your little one can wash their plastic toys. Cars, boats, animals, people, etc. Always get dirty during outdoor play. So why not let your child was their own toys? Car wash is an experience that is always fun!

       Getting dressed again and again is a favorite activity for children.  You have all you need in your closet or chest of drawers. It doesn't matter what size or color. Kids love to wear or try on clothes.  You don't have to go out and purchase expensive dress up clothing or princess dresses. The young child will experiment with boots, shoes, socks,  leggings, pants, shirts, hats, gloves, not to mention purses, a scarf,  and jewelry.

        Tooth brushing is a wonderful and healthy activity for the young child.  This will not only be a good activity but will help with good dental hygiene habits.

            Felt pieces of different sizes, colors, and shapes are a interesting manipulative for the young child.  They can be arranged in different patterns to make abstract pictures.  A youngster could make a stack starting with the largest, smallest,  or random order. These pieces could be used as blankets for toy people or animals.

         Keep your toddlers busy with manipulatives and off of screen time. A busy toddler is a learning toddler.  It will pay off in the long run.

      Please leave a  comment if you have a minute to spare.

Beti