Puppet Play - in our new theater!

Today we had so much fun playing with our puppets in our new puppet theater.

Selecting the cast of characters and adding a voice!

On with the show!

A great audience!

Guess what voice these guys had!

Hey who's in there?

Ta Da!

Hey where did you go?

Behind the scenes!

The fun goes on!

Puppet play and language!

Felt Board Stories

Last week Montessori Alliance posted a link for Flannel Stories which are available totally FREE! There are many choices to fit many familiar themes and children's literature. I used two of the printables today - the children loved them!
I printed off the ones I wanted to use - laminated them and put Velcro on them so I could use the felt board to present them.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly!

I sing this song to the kids every day - using the prop brought even more smiles to the children's faces.

Although there is a goat in my version of the song the children didn't seem to care that when we use the prop a cow has moved in. :) 

Donut Shop

What fun this was - each child was able to select a donut and identify the colour. Even the shy children wanted to come up and take a turn selecting their colour. The verse that comes along with the donuts is very similar to one I use for a cookie game (as seen in the post here - resource-storage )

Previously I had been using these felt mittens to teach colours - now I have something else to support that!

The felt mittens lead into the felt shapes - I hold them up like flashcards and the children yell out the colour and shape - great fun!

I know I will certainly go back to the link and print more since we had so much fun and I do love using props. I have written about that before - Props

French with props

Our French teacher has used props to teach the words for common objects, which the children have learned to identify. This has been very effective in prompting the children to quickly express what they have memorized. In turn they have also used similar objects within the classroom, to prompt their friends to use the French words for the objects they play with. This has also given the classroom teachers opportunity to randomly ask the children the French words at times outside of the French lesson.

Here they are learning modes of transportation.

A close up view of the vehicles.

The children can also identify the fruits and vegetables and other objects shown here in French.

Colours and shapes are identified in French using these props.

 Flashcards placed into plastic sleeves in a binder are used to teach many other things - among them are the parts of the body.

The toddlers have learned so much this year - our French teacher will have to kick it up a notch for next year! I am more than sure the toddlers will rise to the occasion! :)

My Crocheted Finger Puppets

I have to be the most frugal Early Childhood Educator there is - what that has required is for me to search for materials at garage sales and thrift stores - or I have created my own resources. Here are some of my crocheted finger puppets, created from yarn found where? Yes - at garage sales and thrift stores!

The Frog Prince

Jack and Jill

Little Red Riding Hood

5 Green and Speckled Frogs

Hey Diddle Diddle

The Lion and the Mouse

Goldielocks and the Three Bears

Three Blind Mice

Three Little Pigs

Humpty Dumpty

Santa Clause and Mrs Clause

Telling Tales with props

Reading to children is enjoyable for me, but whenever possible I love to tell a story 'off the cuff' - props help and children love visual aids. I have been  lucky enough to find some nice props during my garage sale excursions. Having the props makes a story visual, giving it impact. Having a variety of materials can allow the same story to be told over and over without 'losing the audience'. Telling tales with props usually translates into the children mimicking what they have just experienced.

 I love these 'flip flop' dolls - I was fancinated with them as a child. What a great way to tell a tale!

Felt board characters

....and my own version - crocheted finger puppets.

Props for Songs and Finger Plays

 I found the glove and top two sets at a garage sale - fixed them up (since they had been falling apart) - then created more and added the cards with the songs and verses on them.

 I store them in clear plastic pencil cases which I got for 10 cents each at Office Depot during a back to school sale.

I also searched the net for real photos of the sea creatures to make the props for this song - laminated them after printing and taped them to popcicle sticks!