flannel wall for toy room

 Using 2 1/2 yards of flannel (60 wide), I made a fun flannel wall for the toy room. My 4 year old then told me what he would like for felt pieces. Using scissors, felt, and hot glue- I tried to create what he wants. It has been a fun project to work on with him, and there will be many more cut outs to come. He wants more roads, and dinosaurs next. We also use this wall for projecting movies- and the white flannel is perfect.
 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar felt story

Using the book as a guide, I cut out felt pieces to my son's favorite story: The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The cut-outs are very basic, but they tell the story. Once the pieces were cut out, I glued them with hot glue. I usede a crop-a-dile to hole punch a hole in each of the foods he ate. (The flannel board is a frame my dad made me, with flannel fabric inside.)  

Christmas TRAIN advent calendar

My little boy LOVES trains. Because of this, I decided to make him a Christmas advent calendar with train cars. Each one is a pocket for a little surprise, and each day he can move the little sock monkey to that date. I free handed the train cars out of felt (easy little shapes), but used a sizzix to cut out all the circles for wheels. I added ribbon and polka dots and wrote the numbers with puffy paint. There is also a lion and elephant he can switch out with. These vintage little stuffed animals are ornaments at Kohls. They fit perfectly in the little train cars.

felt play 'town'

My 2 year old son can't get enough of CARS, TRUCKS, and TRACTORS! He is always driving them around the house and lining them up like a parade. So, I decided to make him a felt 'town' with ROADS to drive on. It is one of the funnest projects I have ever made, and the best part is that he LOVES it! When he is done playing with it, it folds right up like a blanket.

I started with 2 yards of fleece for the background, then with FELT, I started cutting out

a house with garage,

a school,

 a farm,

 a zoo,

a camping area,

a train,

a pond with fish,

an airplane,

& lots of roads to connect them.

I also cut out "Radley's world."

It is very free-style and can be made with anything your child likes! I may still add more trees and animals.

I used Felt Glue from hobby lobby- it is permanent glue so the project can be washed. This project is inexpensive and can be as big or small as you want.

-I velcroed the fish in the pond and the bird in the tree, just so he has something to pull off and put back on.

Quiet book ideas



Here are a few of the latest quiet book pages I have made. They are made out of felt.
The monkeys jumping on the bed velcro on and off the bed
The barn has door that open and close and the animals velcro in and out of the barn
The garden has strawberries and carrots that stick into the dirt (a flap of felt)
The rocket slides up and down a rbbon
The baby monster fits inside the mommy monster's pouch
The piggy bank has a slit that the giant coins go into and you can reach in and grab them
 (Jumbo coins found at DollarTree)
The stoplight has three circles that velcro on and off



more quiet book pages

Here are a few more ideas for quiet books.
Ice cream scoops: the cone does not move but the ten scoops and cherry have velcro on the back so they can stack them however they want.
Hats: each hat can be positioned on the head.
Duckies: They can all be taken off and put back in the tub.
Bugs: The ant and ladybug slide on the ribbon (the ribbon is ric-rac which makes the bug go bump bump) the bees fly above them.
Tent: this is one of my favorites. The zipper goes up and inside is googly eyes peepin out. Kids love to do the zipper up and down.

{for more details on quiet books, see previous post}

Quiet Book

I made this 'much needed' Quiet Book for my busy, 18 month old boy, Radley. It has made church so much more endurable for him. :) He especially LOVES pulling off the velcro pieces. The pages are felt sheets that are 4/1.00 at most craft stores. I sewed the pages back to back with a sewing machine and used my cropadile hole punch to punch 3 holes. The rings are large silver closable rings. I used dimentional fabric paint to write on the pages. Some are even sparkly or way puffy. Little kids love to rub their fingers over the letters. The book closes with a ribbon threaded through a hole on both the front and back covers. It is great for kids to practice tying it.
ONE DINOSAUR- a felt dinosaur with fun taggy ribbons sewed to underside of dinosaur.
TWO AIRPLANES- felt planes that slide up and down the ribbon.
THREE BUTTONS- a pair of felt pj's that button up. (these darling buttons are at wal-mart)
FOUR CARS- a road with a house and 4 cars that park in a garage. (clear plastic for garage)
FIVE BUNNIES- I bought these felt bunnies already made at Hobby Lobby. They are finger puppets. I just hid them in tall grass.
SIX EGGS- I cut these felt eggs to crack open different ways- (up and down, side to side...) Inside are hidden baby dinosaurs.
SEVEN FISH- Felt fish in a fish tank. (use clear plastic for fish bowl)
EIGHT BIRDS- Felt birds in a tree that have velcro stuck to the back of birds and on the tree. (Radley's favorite)
NINE STARS- These layered felt stars just slide back and forth on yarn. (There is a hole in each felt star)
TEN FLOWERS- Layered felt flowers that velcro onto page.

Don't be intimidated by the sewing, for much of it, I used felt glue that holds super well. It does take time to make the book, but it is so rewarding to watch them play with something you created just for them! I am already excitedly planning to make more quiet books!