Greening Sam and Avery

fall fun - felt board fall tree

I have made my first attempt at homemade felt board fun!

I made the felt board probably the most simple (and potentially not very long lasting) way possible. I took white felt stretched it over a piece of white foam board and then hot glued it down in the back. I didn't want to spend a lot of time or money on a felt board until I knew for sure that the kids (and I) would enjoy this type of activity.

Once the board was made I started getting creative with some other felt colors for the girls.

I cut out a big brown tree, grass, some flowers and lots of leaves.

Avery played with these uninterupted and uncoached for almost 45 minutes! I was blown away. So I knew I had to make some more and come up with some other ideas for Sam.

I put together this activity for Sam. (Thanks Aunt Jojo for the suggestions!)

I cut out green, red, yellow and orange leaves to go with the big brown tree trunk. Then I drew four different trees on the notecards. Each tree with different colors of leaves and numbers of leaves. Sam's job was to try and match the felt tree to each of the tree pictures.

As indepently as Avery played with the felt board, Sam needed coaching and assistance. I think this had more to do with the fact that she was tired and cranky than her actual comfort or interest in the activity. But I sat with her and we created the trees, pretended it was a windy day and talked about where the trees go in the Fall.  She wanted more pieces and more options to make pictures (not sure I will be able to make the squirrel and owl she requested!).

I am super excited about all the felt creations that are for sure in our future!

Have a felt creation tutorial you would care to share? What is your child's favorite felt board activity? I am new to this and would love any suggestions that you have!!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The Nitty Gritty!

I didn't get pictures of the girls playing together but I actually have two boards made with matching sets for each girl. I didn't make the notecards for Avery, she is still a bit young for that, but she has all the other pieces now to play with.

I think to go along with this tree set I will also make pieces to create the other seasons; small flowers to go on the tree for spring along with small green leaf buds, then for winter I will make some winter snowflakes and snowmen for her to put in the picture.

Already this set has lead to work on counting, colors, matching and nature related discussions. Loving me some felt play!!

Day 313: the dandelion war

We have a battle going on right now at our house over dandelions. Chris does not like his yard infested with dandelions. So whenever we are outside I am using my little dandelion-getter (clearly not the official name but I have no idea what it is actually called) to remove as many of the dandelions as I can by the root. I try to get them before they bloom so that Sam and Avery do not realize what I am pulling out. Because both girls LOVE picking those little yellow flowers. And if they knew that I was trying my hardest to keep them out of our yard (if we get infested the hubs will want to treat the lawn with something, which I am not a fan of!) they would both be very upset.

But right now I am winning the battle. There are very few if any dandelions in our backyard. Our neighbors yard however does not seem to have a wife with clearly too much time on her hands! Sam and Avery head next door every chance they get and come back with fists full.

 
 
So, today I decided to put an activity with their picking and collecting.

 
 
Super simple but it was a HUGE hit! Avery isn't counting yet (not even really talking much yet) but she can follow directions really well and when Sam would tell her to set one down she would. Love when I can take something that the girls are doing anyway and add a learning element to it, especially when it can involve and entertain both of them. Hoping we can do more learning activities like this that double as outdoor play!

________________________________________________________________________________________

The Nitty Gritty!

As I drove up to Sam's preschool on Monday afternoon I noticed all the kids out in the grass picking dandelions (which made my heart smile that they were using all the open green space and not just the giant noah's ark playground). When all the kids rushed to meet their parents with fists full of dandelions I mentioned my counting idea to Sam's teacher. We hadn't tried it out yet but the idea had been floating around in my head so I thought I would share it.

I think this would be so simple and so fun to do with a class full of little ones. They could all work together to gather the dandelions for each number (you could count higher than 10 too) or each kid could have their own counting box. Either way I think it would be a great way to get them off the swings and using their minds out on the playground.