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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Christmas Owl Felt Finger Puppets

Christmas owl felt finger puppet

One of our teachers this year LOVES owls, so we made these especially for her.   They were simple to put together and fun to hand out, on a candy cane, of course!

The pattern is free (below).  Michaels had some fun printed felt to give a bit of whimsy to it.  I found the light bulbs as a trim last year at Joann's. The feathery fringe is available at most fabric stores. 

Would you believe there is actually a story about Christmas owls? The Christmas Owls, by Judy West and Gerda Westerink was highly rated on Amazon.  However, our library doesn't have it and it is out of print.  Anyone out there ever read it?

Jonathon Allen's owl series, starring a ridiculously cute baby owl who doesn't want to be called cute also has a Christmas owl story called,  "I'm not Santa."  It takes a visit from the REAL Santa to settle a dispute between baby owl and his friends as to who Santa is... Allen does it again, has us laughing so hard we have to take a break from reading and recall our own instances of his expertly captured kid behavior.  Ever just tell someone what they want to hear to quiet them down, only to realize you should have stuck to the truth? Yup, we adults do this, too... Thanks, Mr. Allen, for giving us a great platform to discuss how keeping people happy is complicated!

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christmas owl finger puppet pattern by

Alien Birthday Party Invitation

Strap on your spacesuits and blast off to an Alien Birthday Party!

First step:  Make an invitation to be played with, showing how exciting the party will be!  Of course, you don't have to have a party to have fun with this paper craft...

alien spaceship invitation

Trace the spaceship pattern onto black cardstock, the cockpit onto clear vellum, the trim onto gold cardstock, and the spaceship front onto dark gray cardstock.  Assemble and glue (leaving space for alien to fit inside), then attach cockpit with a small brad.  Copy aliens onto green paper. Paint or glue on eyes (I used white hole punches) and sequins for decoration, if desired!  Add party details on the back (I printed them in text boxes then glued on).

Join us for an

OUT OF THIS WORLD ADVENTURE

 to Celebrate (name's) 8th

Trip Around the Sun

Tuesday, January 22th

1:30-3:30

(Last Name) Galaxy

Our address

RSVP our phone

 Our email .com

I'm happy to say the spaceships were happily received!  My favorite response was from a mom who reported that her whole clan of boys (including Dad) were seen to be playing with the invitation. 

I made several extras and a couple of new alien guys to use as decorations for the party.  

aliens and spaceship fun

Aliens and Spaceship Pattern by C.A. Leu

Spotty Silly Spring Smiley Slimey Snails

These little cuties deliver a lot of cuteness and charm from a simple and easy design. Only three pieces mean you can whip out a class size group of these in no time.  With the range of printed felt out there, you can make quite a statement in shell design!  

Have your kids add a bow, bonnet, or bling for a fancier design, perhaps to go with Ordinary Oscar, an entertaining snail story by Laura Adkins and Sam Hearn.  Oscar Slimeglider is tired of being like all the other snails: dull, drab, and BORING!  On his quest to go beyond the ordinary, he learns that there are good reasons for snails to look ordinary on the outside... but that doesn't mean he can't be EXTRAordinary on the inside...

Our family snail story favorite, with artwork sure to appeal to Olive the Other Reindeer fans, is Gluey, a Small Snail Tale, by Vivan Walsh and J. Otto Seibold. This is one of those feel-good stories that sticks with you long after you read it, one that you can use to start many different "character" conversations with kids.  Celerina, a rabbit, moves into a house that is already occupied, but she doesn't realize it. Gluey the snail lives there, and keeps the place in shape like all good carpenter snails do. When things she breaks start to "fix themselves", she starts to think her house is magic... She doesn't realize it is Gluey, who is so small and has such a small voice she doesn't even hear him.  You are sure to enjoy this wonderful tale of mistaking someone's character, making a mess, then making it right again...

Free Snail Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Hippopotamus Felt Finger Puppet

Hippo, hippo, hooray!  Don't forget to add a tail to this guy!  A short little swishy one!

If you need a story to go along with these cuties, you MUST try Chubbo's Pool, by Betsy Lewin (yes! the famous illustrator of Click Clack Moo!).   This is a delightful tale of overcoming selfishness in a beautifully wild African setting. "GET OUT OF MY POOL," roars hippo, as he chases all the other animals out of his pool.  After all his water is gone he realizes he is lonely. He finds the other animals in a different pool, but knows he has been mean to them and so doesn't ask to join in.  Surprise!  The other animals come to join him anyway, bring water by the trunkful to fill up his old pool. Beautiful illustrations, beautiful message. I love the picture of him in the water where all you can see is his little ears/eyes poking out... The one thing I change when reading this is the name... I change Chubbo to hippo, because I'm more comfortable with that.

Owen and Mzee, The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, Paula Kahumbu, and Peter Greste,  chronicles the story of a baby hippo stranded by the Dec. 2004 tsunami and his "adoption" by a real tortoise friend who happens to be 130 years old. This heart warming tale of friendship where you least expect it, and when you need it most, is most certainly a family bookshelf treasure.

Hippo goes Bananas, by Marjorie Dennis Murray, is a telephone game story with lively illustrations by Kevin O'Malley.  Hippo has a tooth ache!  As the story spreads through all the Serengeti animals, it grows and grows.  A fun read!

Hot Hippo, by Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway is a delightful selection from the African Animal Tales series.  How can a hippo find relief from the heat?  He seeks Ngai, who offers him cool rivers and streams as long as he promises never to eat a fish.

Ah, Sandra Boynton.  I've loved her art since I was a girl.  Just try not to smile as you read through this happy hippo counting book with your preschooler. Her illustrations are simply (pun intended) amazing!

Hippo Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Merry Christmas in May!

Look!  Look!  Look what arrived in my mail box!  A book of thank you letters from Mrs. Pohl's first grade!  This has to be one of the nicest things I've ever gotten...

Mrs. Pohl asked me to make some puppets for her, which I was happy to do. What an honor that a real teacher would be putting the puppets to REAL use (without me dumping them on her)!  Then she had each of her students write a personal note and collected them in a book!  Each letter is preciously sincere, letting me know which puppet was their favorite and other interesting and kind things. And they colored their letters, too!

I've already read this book a million times. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. Just a little. :)

This gift is a truly special one.

My intent with this blog is to spread cheer and creativity. What an honor to see that dream come true!  Many of the kids expressed that they would like to make puppets.   I couldn't resist sending them a thank you card for their thank you book, and one of these guys for each student:

My son asked, "what are those supposed to be, Mom? " I answered, "whatever the kids would like them to be!"  I checked with Mrs. Pohl first... she has supplies for her students to use in making their own faces and decorations.  I gave one to my son, too.  Holding it gently in his hand, with a soft and thoughtful voice he said, "Mom, I think these are you."  I know he was teasing me about the trim looking like my crazy hair in the morning, but he said it with so much love.  Yes, these are like me. Thank you, son.  Thank you, Mrs. Pohl and students.  

Puppets are magic. 

DIY Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

A Tree is Nice, A Forest is Sublime!

Tree puppets for Earth Day (especially using recycled fiber felts), and Arbor Day, too!

Do you have a favorite tree story? 

Our Tree Named Steve, by Alan Zweibel and David Catrow, is my all time favorite tree book.  The story is delivered as a letter tenderly written to kids from their Dad.  A favorite tree in their yard named Steve, because the youngest in the family couldn't pronounce "tree" when they first met him, has fallen over, and Dad wants them to know before they come home. The sweetly nostalgic memories of the children growing up with Steve (the tree) overhead are kept light by the exuberant Catrow illustrations.  You just have to laugh, even as tears may be in your eyes, as Steve's legacy captivates and motivates you to read this tribute again and again.  This comforting story is truly about friendship, love, and family.  My kids, now 7 and 10, still love this story...

We received a copy of A Tree is Nice, by Janice Udry and Marc Simont from a dear friend and adored it at once.  This book is a non-fiction early reader with rich, colorful illustrations.  How telling it is that the child's perspective of why trees are nice is timeless!  Ours is inscribed to Karen, apparently a Christmas gift from Ellen and Jim in 1957.  My favorite part is the ending that encourages everyone to go plant a tree for themselves.  Hooray for trees!  Hooray for the spirit of passing good things on!

I just put The Tree by Karen Ruelle and Deborah Desaix on hold at our library.  It looks like a good one, going through history that took place during a famous tree's life (New York City's oldest Elm). I'll be back with a review soon!

Tree Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Weather warming up? It's construction time!  Add some hair to turn these guys into gals...

These ready for action people were inspired by the request of a kind and inspiring teacher in Grand Ledge, MI.  Thanks for all your hard work raising our future, Ann! 

Do you have a favorite construction story?  When my son was little, he could not get enough of Road Builders, by B.G. Hennessy and Simms Taback.  Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I see we were not alone!  Truck-loving kids can't put this one down. It goes through steps in making roads and identifies the required machinery.  We read it so often that my husband and I STILL know it by heart, many years later.  The most fun was changing around the names of the trucks and names of the workers and watching our little boy squeal in delight to correct us.... NO, IT'S A BACKHOE, MOM!!

Another family favorite was Digger Man, by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha.  This joyfully illustrated story features a truck-obsessed big brother who ends up teaching his baby brother to be a Digger Man, too.  He rides along in his car seat!  And big brother is going to build him a park where they can play together... What great family fun, from the garden to bath tub, full of trucks!

A great take on an ABC book, June Sobel and Melissa Iwai's B is for Bulldozer gives a great twist on construction literature.  The story not only takes you through an ABC of truck vocabulary and building action, but it takes you through seasons, too.  Watching the background change as I read the story again and again gave me great relief from the business at hand, which was building a roller coaster theme park.  Happy memories from this one too!

Construction Worker Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Monkey Felt Finger Puppets

Monkey Business!

Monkey Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Frog Felt Finger Puppets

Zip, zap, zut!  Froggy's catchin' flies!  The fly is sewn onto a long ribbon that is poked through the puppet near the frog's mouth. There is a tiny safety pin on the other end so a child can pull the fly into froggy's mouth. 

Happy Leap Year!

Frog Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Valentine's Heart Garland

This romantic heart garland was posted on Better Homes and Gardens.  Sure looked simple enough!  The craft store I went to had NO selection of red papers, so I had to go with pinks instead. 

I like a rustic sort of look so used twine instead of ribbon, except where the garland attaches to the bed.

 

Oh dear, this bed just doesn't have the same romance as the BGH one, but look at all that love! Six hearts for a full size frame.

It also adds festivity to a the mantel...

The only thing that could make this project easier is a template! 

So here ya go... two of the bigger hearts will fit on one 12x12 scrapbookpaper page.

Heart Garland Pattern

Rustic Paper Heart Wreath

This simple and sweet Valentine's Heart wreath was a pinterest find. I fell in love with it and searched my heart out (bad pun intended) for the original poster and directions. Alas, I spent a couple of hours searching and never did find the original post. Along the reposts though, I had a great time enjoying new crafty inspiration. So, I'd have to figure this one out myself or not at all. This post is to share what I learned in case any of you want to try it, too!

First I gathered a handful of green twigs.  Line them up to match similar sizes and colors, then trim to similar lengths.

Use thin gauge wire to wrap two of the stems together.

Bend the other end of the stems down toward the bottom to make the heart shape and wire together.

Take a length of wire and attach it to the bottom end of the heart. Loop the other end over the top notch of the heart and tighten, wrapping around the notch when the desired shape is reached.

I added two side wires to get the heart to lay flat. The original heart wreath doesn't have any wires, but I'm still satisfied with this look, the wires are so thin they're hardly visible. Maybe the wood will dry out this way and the wires can be removed later?

Now it is time for the mini paper heart decorations!

I cut out a bunch of hearts from scraps I had.  I'll post a template if anyone else doesn't have a heart punch...  :)

I cut white backs for the hearts...

Then glued the wire stems between the backs and colored fronts.

Finally, bend the paper hearts along the midline and twist the wire stems onto the twig heart.

Happy Heart Day!  Can you feel the love?