Feltboard and Fingerplay Fun

Feltboard and Fingerplay Fun : 

Feltboard and Fingerplay Fun presented by Barb Janicek barbjanicek@hotmail.com for “Getting Connected for Early Literacy Learning” Conference October 16, 2010

The Workshop Proposal : 

The Workshop Proposal Using props to enhance rhymes and stories stimulates learning and understanding. This session will focus on creating quality felt board sets and class sets of finger play props, how to use them, and will have a hands-on craft component where participants get to make and take a finished product. Some background theory on the value of props for feltboard and fingerplay rhymes will be discussed. What are we doing today? WHY & HOW

Who will benefit? : 

Who will benefit? Anyone who does storytimes or works with children in class settings (day cares, libraries, programmers, educators), especially if they are new or want to update old favourites Anyone working within a constrained budget (there are many flannel sets available for purchase, all quite expensive) Anyone who feels uncreative, or uncrafty, will get some tips and tricks for how to make quality sets without the need for artistic ability

Workshop Goals : 

Workshop Goals For every participant to leave with 3 things: 2 new pieces of information “Hey, I didn’t know that before…” 1 idea you’re excited to try right away

What are we talking about?: : 

What are we talking about?: Feltboards Flannel boards Magnet boards Flannelgraphs Finger plays Teaching Aids

Early Literacy : 

Early Literacy Early Literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read or write.

Slide 7: 

“Aside from being fun to do, singing songs, saying poems and rhymes, and doing fingerplays with children helps them develop early literacy skills. Long before children encounter formal reading instruction and are asked to hear the subtle differences between the letter sounds of “b” and “d,” they should have many opportunities to play with and fall in love with rhythm, rhyme, repetition, and structural sequence. Songs, poems, rhymes, chants, tongue twisters and fingerplays are the perfect vehicles for these experiences.” Jackie Silberg & Pam Schiller The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants (2002)

Early Literacy Theory : 

Early Literacy Theory Phonological Awareness Being able to hear the sounds that make up words helps children sound out written words as they begin to read. Patterns in nursery rhymes help children with pattern recognition, which then helps them to recognize word patterns as they begin to read later on. Say nursery rhymes so that your child hears words that rhyme. Emphasize the rhyming words. Add actions as you sing a song or recite a poem. This helps your child break down language into separate words. Singing songs is a good way to help your child hear syllables in words. In most songs, each syllable in a word gets a different note.

Why Nursery Rhymes? : 

Why Nursery Rhymes? Informal linguistic routines such as nursery rhymes promote the organization of the mental lexicon around syllable and rhyme, which are bases for literacy acquisition. (Goswami, U. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, 2001) Nursery rhymes and songs improve a baby's language skills; they play an important role in helping babies learn to “read” and to understand the grammatical structure of language. (Bryant, Maclean and Crossland, 1989) Children’s knowledge of nursery rhymes predicted their success in reading two to three years later even after the effects of their IQ, social background, and initial phonological sensitivity were ruled out. (Bryant, Maclean and Crossland, 1989)

Early Literacy Theory : 

Early Literacy Theory Letter Knowledge Help your child see different shapes and the shapes of letters. Talk about what is the same and what is different between two things. Make letters from felt or use magnetic letters. Vocabulary Oral storytelling helps to build a child’s vocabulary Visual cues of the felt figures and context of the story helps children figure out the meaning of new words

Slide 11: 

Knowledge of alphabet letters at entry into kindergarten is a strong predictor of reading ability in 10th grade.

Early Literacy Theory : 

Early Literacy Theory Narrative skills Being able to tell or re-tell a story helps children to process and understand what they read. Sequencing - the ability to say what happens next, and the ability to tell a story “in order” (beginning, middle, end). Storytelling acts as an effective building block, “easing the journey from oracy to literacy.” (Dyson, 1991; Hall, 1987) Developing narrative skills in early literacy helps later with reading comprehension. Making up stories develops imagination.

Early Literacy Theory : 

Early Literacy Theory Numeracy skills Lots of rhymes involve counting; adding or removing objects on the flannelboard helps to visually count Sensory Stimulation Children learn best when all their senses are stimulated Have them touch the objects, and participate Like storytelling, flannel boards are warm and personal, unlike TV or computers or other modern media Helps children to visualize the story – and that’s the first step to reading comprehension later on

Flannel Board& Finger PlayFun : 

Flannel Board& Finger PlayFun Let’s get to it – the reason you’re here:

Let’s talk Materials : 

Let’s talk Materials Felt Flannel / Fabric Foam Glue Magnetic sheets Felt/Fabric Paint vs. Fabric Markers (or Sharpies) Good Scissors Other: googly eyes, ribbon, buttons, etc.

Materials : 

Materials Felt Kids love the feel! Don’t use pencil, pen, marker, etc – hard to get off Print pattern on paper & scotch tape it to cut it out Harder to clean after being in kids’ mouths Can place pieces on top of each other (they’ll stick)

Slide 17: 

An unfortunate learning experience with a Sharpie

Materials : 

Materials Flannel / Fabric Need to be a sewer and create a seam Cutting fabric leaves threads Felt won’t stick well to most fabrics – just flannel

Materials : 

Materials Foam Won’t stick to felt boards – only use with magnet Different qualities – smells of oil-based products Hard to rip or destroy, easy to clean – but bite marks show!

Materials : 

Materials Wood Won’t stick to felt boards – only use with magnet Can be pricier than felt or foam, even if you paint your own shapes Not the same tactile feel as felt Need to make sure objects are recognizable (wooden shapes are often stylized)

Adhesives : 

Adhesives Glue White felt glue – takes time to dry, see-through Glue Gun – dries fast but is lumpy, not see-through Velcro Great as long as it’s well secured Dollar Store / self-adhesive – needs extra glue Magnets Don’t work with felt boards (obviously) but if you have a white board that is magnetic, it’s a great option Self-adhesive magnetic sheet – better than thick magnets

Boards : 

Boards Felt board Commercially produced Home made Blue, Black, or Green Gloves Made of felt Velcro on regular gloves “Monkey Mitt” Aprons

Cutting a few corners : 

Cutting a few corners Use large stickers or felt shapes with sticky backing, and mount onto felt or sandpaper Sewing patches – found in most fabric stores Wooden shapes – pre-painted, or paint your own Old books – cut out key images to tell the story

More Tips & Tricks : 

More Tips & Tricks Sign up to receive coupons from Michaels Mount shapes onto sandpaper instead of felt May want to laminate paper shapes and glue to sandpaper Scotch Tape small pieces for a cleaner cut Dollar Store gloves – use fingertips for fingerpuppets, or velcro to make your own “mitt” If making magnets, a cookie sheet works as a “board” in a pinch Window-shop online – get ideas for story and rhyme sets from the vendors, but make your own

Patterns : 

Patterns Find in books – use photocopier and increase/decrease to the right size Some are online to download Use clipart Aim for SIMPLE shapes. The more lines there are, the more you have to cut out! Google Images is as good as Clipart programs

Finding Patterns with Google Images : 

Finding Patterns with Google Images

Finding Patterns with Google Images : 

Finding Patterns with Google Images

Using Your Felt Sets : 

Using Your Felt Sets Stack the pieces in order of appearance For stories & rhymes: tape a cheat sheet with the words to the back of the board … just in case Use class sets to practice colours, numbers, shapes, and taking turns at the board Store pieces flat For independent play, let kids re-tell stories or make up their own (imagination at its best!)

What Makes a Good Feltboard Rhyme or Story? : 

What Makes a Good Feltboard Rhyme or Story? Repetition and patterns in the story or rhyme Colours, shapes, counting – something the kids can participate in Something familiar – anticipation (they know it!) When book or illustrations are too small Strong imagery Compelling rhythm The Turnip 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed

Great Songs & Rhymes : 

Great Songs & Rhymes Itsy bitsy spider Two little dicky birds 10 in the bed I went to visit the farm one day She’ll be comin’ round the mountain B-I-N-G-O Hey Diddle Diddle 10 crunchy carrots (Charlotte Diamond)

Great Stories : 

Great Stories Brown bear, brown bear (Eric Carle) The Carrot Seed / Great big turnip I know an old lady who swallowed a fly The little old lady who was not afraid of anything (Linda Williams) The Mitten (Jan Brett) Ask Mr. Bear (Marjorie Flack) 3 Billy Goats Gruff Three little kittens Stone Soup

Rule of 5 : 

Rule of 5 5 green and speckled frogs 5 little ducks went out to play 5 fat sausages 5 little monkeys (jumping on the bed) 5 little pumpkins sitting on the gate 5 … of anything! Why are so many finger plays and children’s rhymes based on 5 of something? It’s how many fingers we have on our hands!

Make-and-Take Spider : 

Make-and-Take Spider

Spiders : 

Spiders Eensy Weensy Spider Christmas variation Spider on the floor

Eensy Weensy Spider : 

Eensy Weensy Spider The eensy weensy spider climbed up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Out came the sun and dried up all the rain So the eensy weensy spider climbed up the spout again

Merry Christmas Spider : 

Merry Christmas Spider The Merry Christmas spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the snow and blew the spider out. Out came the sun and turned the snow to rain. So the Merry Christmas Spider climbed up the spout again.

There’s a Spider on the Floor : 

There’s a Spider on the Floor There’s a spider on the floor, on the floorThere’s a spider on the floor, on the floorOh, who could ask for moreThan a spider on the floorThere’s a spider on the floor, on the floor There’s a spider on my leg, on my leg…Oh he’s really really big There’s a spider on my arm, on my arm… Won’t someone please sound an alarm There’s a spider on my neck, on my neck…Oh I’m gonna be a wreck There’s a spider on my face, on my face… Oh, it’s such a big disgrace There’s a spider on my head, on my head…Oh, I wish that he were dead [spoken] But then he jumps off Now there’s a spider on the floor, on the floor…

Make-and-Take Rocket : 

Make-and-Take Rocket Zoom, zoom, zoom We’re going to the moon Zoom, zoom, zoom We’re going to the moon If you’d like to take a trip Climb aboard my rocket ship Zoom, zoom, zoom We’re going to the moon 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … blast off!

http://sites.google.com/site/feltboardsandfingerplays : 

http://sites.google.com/site/feltboardsandfingerplays to download this presentation, handouts, patterns, articles, and more about Feltboards and Fingerplays For materials from other conference sessions, go to: http://earlyliteracyalliance.blogspot.com Or contact Barb Janicek at barbjanicek@hotmail.com