Alien and Spaceship Finger Puppet Playset

Felt Alien Playset

Greetings Earthlings!  We're here in peace and friendship!  What can you teach us about your world today? 

These alien cuties were part of our Alien Birthday Party.  We hid the aliens in a spaceship pinata and the spaceships were in a "deep space" party room. 

How-to Hints:  Trace and cut the pieces from the pattern below, using a thin, transparent material for the cockpit and regular felt for the others. I used dark gray for the cockpit border and sparkle felt for added dazzle on the spaceship.  Sew the front cockpit piece to its edge.  Then, sew the back cockpit piece to the edge and one of the spaceship pieces (3 pieces together). I used silver thread and a zig zag stitch for added bling. Align the cockpit pieces inside out and sew together with a regular stitch.  Turn cockpit right-side out and sew last piece of space ship to the front along the outside edge so that the middle remains open for the aliens to fit inside (black thread).  Bright green felt worked well for the aliens, a straight forward copy-cut-sew from the pattern, with a bit of white and black fabric paint for the eyes. Lastly, I outlined the cockpit edge with glow in the dark fabric paint for nighttime fun.

Aliens and Spaceship Playset

For an Alien story to go with these, try Space Case, by Edward Marshall, is a light hearted tale of an alien that visits Earth.  Lucky for him, it is Halloween, so he fits right in. He even gets invited to sleep over!  He has great fun with his new Earthling friend, and helps him with his science project before he heads home.  Great for bed time by tickling that "what if" imagination!

We can't give Alexis Deacon's Beegu enough praise.  This is one heart warming alien book for little people and the grown ups that love them!  Beegu is estranged from her family when her spaceship crashes. The story is about her adventure on earth as she seeks new friends that mostly find her strange and unloveable. Her refuge is the children, who adore her, of course! Her parents eventually find her and she recounts the whole tale to them. My kids especially love the recounting as it is told in alien language, little pictographs of her whole experience.  The words are few, the feeling is deep. Beegu will miss the little ones, the story goes, but we all end up carrying her in our hearts after reading this story!

We are Nancy Shaw fans, so Sheep Blast Off! is a natural favorite. The silly sheep get into trouble when they climb aboard a crashed alien ship. Not to worry though. When the aliens wake up and find the sheep in charge, they quickly take over without the sheep ever realizing what happened!

Does Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman really need an introduction? A brightly illustrated story about aliens landing on earth to steal underpants has instant boy appeal. Pure silliness! There are three books in the series, with Aliens in Underpants Save the World and Aliens Love Panta Claus.

Alien Spaceship Finger Puppet Playset Pattern by

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DIY Snoopy Christmas Felt Finger Puppet

Snoopy felt finger puppet

One of our teachers this year is a HUGE Snoopy fan, so we just had to create a special gift for her. The class all enjoyed the puppets though. Perfect to go along with A Charlie Brown Christmas!

Christmas Snoopy finger puppets

Smiley Santa Felt Finger Puppets

Ho, ho ho!  Use the pattern below to make these jolly Santas from felt. I used a fuzzy, thin white fabric for the beard and fabric paints for the features (eyes, belt buckle, mouth).  Slip them onto pencils or candy canes for holiday gifts!

Looking for a great story to go along with these? Year after year, my family looks forward to Christmas in Exeter Street, by Diane Hendry.  This unusual story of compassion and holiday cheer warms our hearts and stays in our imaginations!   Guests arrive for the holiday celebration, taking their places in special rooms.  However, other guests end up in the house until people and pets are sleeping in spaces from the basement to attic, including the cupboards, window sills, bathtub, and kitchen sink. Santa comes when everyone is finally asleep, but he has to take off his socks to count on his toes to ensure he hasn't forgotten everyone.  The illustrations are detailed and delicious, and the example of taking people into our hearts and homes is perfect for the season!

Santa Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Alien Finger Puppets

These were the aliens hiding in a darkened room during our space birthday party. I used glow in the dark paint so that under a black light, their features really lit up.  Fun!  I normally prefer not to use google eyes because they can fall off so easily and become choking hazards, but for the one-eyed guy designed by my astronaut son, we just had to try it!  The eyeball has stuck on for several years now. Gotta love tacky glue!

Alien Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Space Case, by James Marshall, is a light hearted tale of an alien that visits Earth.  Lucky for him, it is Halloween, so he fits right in. He even gets invited to sleep over!  He has great fun with his new Earthling friend, and helps him with his science project before he heads home.  Great for bed time by tickling that "what if" imagination!

We can't give Alexis Deacon's Beegu enough praise.  This is one heart warming alien book for little people and the grown ups that love them!  Beegu is estranged from her family when her spaceship crashes. The story is about her adventure on earth as she seeks new friends that mostly find her strange and unloveable. Her refuge is the children, who adore her, of course! Her parents eventually find her and she recounts the whole tale to them. My kids especially love the recounting as it is told in alien language, little pictographs of her whole experience.  The words are few, the feeling is deep. Beegu will miss the little ones, the story goes, but we all end up carrying her in our hearts after reading this story!

Paddington Bear Felt Finger Puppet

Free Paddington Bear Puppet Pattern

Release Your Inner THING (a Dr. Seuss Craft)

You knew it the first time you read Cat in the Hat as an adult for your kids.... Move over Leprechauns,  Thing 1 and Thing 2 are REAL and abide in your very own household!  Especially in the half hour before bedtime. (Except at Christmas, when the Gingerbread Man makes frequent appearances, but that is another holiday...)

Then you think a little more.  Does everyone have a "THING" inside of them?  That inner urge to run, jump and break with convention?  Do you keep your THING locked up at all times?  Time to release your inner thing, Darling, it's time to play!  

I've included a sketch in the template for this craft that resembles Dr. Seuss's Thing characters, but I challenge you to make it more personal!  Draw your own "thing" for the inside of the box, and enjoy the zany that comes out.  After all, it's almost Dr. Seuss' birthday.   :)

Materials
1) red and white cardstock
2) hole punch and ruler
3) tacky glue
4) sharp knife
5) two brass brads
6) pens, colored and black


First, cut out the template and copy onto red paper. 

Use a ruler and an object such as the nail file on a pocket knife or the unfolded end of a paper clip or the edge of a coin to score the paper where it will be folded (dashed lines).

Cut out and fold the pieces, hole punch where indicated.

Add a little tacky glue to the tabs on the biggest box piece.

Press together and let dry a bit.  This would be a good time to draw/color your THING picture.

Add some glue to the box bottom piece and attach.

Use a sharp blade to make a slit on the inside rectangluar box piece.

Insert top of T-shaped piece through slot.  Add thin line of glue (side where hole of T-piece shows through slot) on sides and bottom of the rectangle piece, but be sure T piece can move up and down freely...this is how your THING will move in/out of the box).  Insert whole assembly into box and let dry.

Gather pieces to connect with brad:  hook on top, then box top, then THING picture, then T-tab.  Close brad tightly!

THING picture should be on one side of inside rectangle piece, T-Tab on other.

Close box top and mark where to put hole for second brad (inside hook, slightly above given diameter of brad).

Punch hole, insert brad, and with a bit of luck, your locking mechanism will function perfectly!  Note that with small kids, the lock-hook assembly may be more trouble than needed... simply opening the box gives the same effect. 

Use a thin black pen to add detail to your box, consulting your CAT IN THE HAT book illustrations as needed!

To give that "we're outta here" look, add some hands for your things.  For the option provided on the template, you need three hands.  Fold a small piece of white cardstock accordian style, so you can cut three hands at once.

Fold the hands, then glue them in place.  Note:  I put a scratch piece of paper under the hands while the glue dried so any excess wouldn't stick to the THINGS.

Whala!  Now go have fun with your THINGS!

Thing Box Pattern for Dr. Seuss Craft

Some THINGS to Help Celebrate Dr. Seuss!

Dear Dr. Seuss:

Happy Birthday with TWO

Things drawn red and BLUE

Your books have inspired us

We're grateful for YOU!

March 2nd, Dr. Seuss' Birthday!

Read Across America!!

Materials:

poster board or heavy cardstock for base
red, turquoise, and white paper
string (or embroidery floss)
hole punch, scissors, glue (rubber cement)
brass brads (or smaller craft brads, in red?)
black pen for details

Cut out the template, punch holes, and glue the colored pieces on top of poster board pieces.  Assemble by pushing brads through lower holes on arms and legs. With the Thing in arms/legs down position (standing), tie string/floss through top holes of appendages, connecting arms to arms and legs to legs (loose tie is ok). Use a longer piece of string/floss to tie arm string to leg string, and leave a length at bottom for pulling.

Punch a hole in top of Thing's hair to insert loop for hanging. Tie a golden ring (old pirate treasure?) if you like, to the bottom string for easy pulling. 

If your Thing's legs/arms get stuck when pulling, try loosening the brads a bit.

Have fun!


Things Dr. Seuss Pattern

Pokemon Pikachu Felt Finger Puppet

Free Pattern Below!

Pikachu Puppet

Gingerbread People Felt Finger Puppet Christmas Craft

Making gingerbread cookies is great family fun that has been a tradition for many generations. At home or in the classroom, these puppets go great with the many versions of gingerbread man stories that will last long after the cookies are gone!

These little cuties are really simple to sew. Just cut out two body parts for each and either a hat or hair from the template below.  The gingerbread girl has lace (by the yard) and the gingerbread boy has ric rac (sold in small packs, near sewing notions).  Lightly the lace or ric rac before you sew.  Sprinkle a little gingerbread spice (ginger, cinnamin, cloves) into the fabric just for fun, because smelling the sweet cookies is at least half of the fun! Use some 3D fabric paints to add faces, holly or other candy like features. 

Sure you can tell the gingerbread story by heart. My kids used to love to play gingerbread man at night when it was time to go to bed (can't catch me!)... Check out some of the new versions of the tale below:

I haven't read Kristin Keadstrup's Gingerbread Pirates but it is on our wish list! The cannibal... Santa Claus? Of course! But how oh how will this story end? I sure hope our library has this one!

 In Jan Brett's Gingerbread Friends, our self-assured gingerbread cookie gets a lesson on the power of friendship! Lovely illustrations and super fold out page. 

It takes a clever girl to outsmart the fox... Lisa Campbell's Gingerbread Girl is a must-read for any gingerbread lover.


Gingerbread Finger Puppet Pattern

Batty Ghosts

How to's: Trace two copies of your favorite ghosty shape onto white felt. Use sparkle or flash felt for even more glittery fun! Glue hands together with tacky glue. Sew together! Use 3D fabric paint for mouths and eyes. Trick or treat fun!

Ghost Finger Puppet Pattern

When my kids were little, I struggled a bit with the whole idea of introducing them to "ghosts" but was quickly reminded that they saw them as just another character in their list of learning, like a cartoon. There are so many cute ghost crafts for toddlers, I didn't want to miss out! My boys also had (have!) a particular fondness for walking around with sleeping bags or blankets over their heads (ouch!).

Lynda Graham-Barber's, SAY BOO! was our family's introduction to the concept of ghosts. It is a darling story about a little ghost having trouble pronouncing BOO! You can use the story literally, to show how one letter changes the word (rhyming moo, boo, whoo, etc.) but also to discuss feelings as little boo gets frustrated by not being able to make the right sound. Barbara Lehman's illustrations are colorful and have just the right detail to capture the concepts.

If you haven't read David LaRochelle's, The Haunted Hamburger and other Ghostly Stories, you must put it on your (kids) Halloween reading list this year. Paul Meisel's illustrations are expressive and detailed, highlighting all the emotion in the stories as well as the concepts. While trying to get his kids to bed, father ghost spins three tall tales to entertain them. These three tales are scary for the ghosts (being turned into a diaper, being tricked by a hamburger, and kissed by a granny), but will leave kids laughing. You'll surely catch kids of many ages reading this creative story again on their own.

Does your family love pie? The Perfect Pumpkin Pie, by Denys Cazet, is a tasty pie ghost story, although a slight step up on the spooky scale than the two stories above. The spooky part is that Mr. Wilkerson actually dies, is buried and turns into a ghost (in the first pages). If your kids can get past that (we looked at each other with wrinkled eyebrows), they'll be hooked on the rest. The granny and boy face the ghost without fear (all he wants is pie). The prose is clever, fun to read aloud and easy to add character voices... Pumpkins, pumpkins,/pumpkin pie!/I must have one/before I die./It must be round/and brown as toast,/or I'll haunt this house/a hungry ghost! The wonderfully detailed illustrations are reminiscent of David Catrow, and really add to the tale. So much to look for on each page!

I searched a little on Amazon to get a few more ideas together:

The adorable illustrations in Kristen Depken's One, Two Boo! caught my attention right away. This lift the flap book would have been on my interest list when my boys were toddlers.

This one got me right from the title, ghosts aren't supposed to be timid! Ten Timid Ghosts, by Jennifer O'Connell, is a count down book that would surely appeal to the preschool/kinder audience interested that may feel timid about ghosts themselves! The plot involves a witch employing a clever scheme to scare away the ghosts, and builds in math concepts (counting, subtraction).

Ghosts in the House, by Kazuno Kohara will leave you in great "spirits" at how resourceful the clever heroine is... Got ghosts? Just put them in the laundry and turn them into something else! Eyecatching drawings and a perfect blend of sweet and spooky for Halloween storytimes.