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

Easter Chick Pop-up Felt Finger Puppets

Precious peeps to peek into your Easter celebration....

Penguin Chick Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

First grade had Penguin Day recently, so we had to bring some penguins to help celebrate!  We brought penguin valentines last year and Christmas penguins in the past, so we needed a slightly different idea.  Ta d! The baby penguins are here!  The best part is that this is a relatively easy pattern, just four pieces per puppet! Don't forget the silver sharpie if you are trying these for the first time... works magically on the dark colored felts. 

There are so many great stories out there... I've already mentioned our favorite, Penguin Pete, but if you are new to this subject, you just can't miss Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester. It's a perfect book to bring out when your child is feeling outcast, a little too different from other kids, or perhaps that they aren't measuring up to what they are "supposed" to be doing.  Tacky doesn't have all the same skills and personality traits of his friends, but his very own way of doing things rescues them all in the end... Perfect for the family bookshelf!  Tacky helps youngsters tackle perfectionism!

Penguin Chick Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Thanksgiving Fun: An Idea Collection

Ah, Thanksgiving.  A time for reflection. A time to appreciate family and friends.  A great time to be together, so why not stretch the celebration by doing a few crafts together beforehand?  A perfect way to slow things down a bit.  Here are some ideas we tried this year...

We hung a festive lighted strand of maple leaves above the windows, but somehow it looked like something was missing.  Aha!  We crafted a dozen owls from egg carton cups and hung them from the string lights with golden string. Much better!  (separate the egg cups, poke hole and tie hanging string into half of the pieces, glue together tops and bottoms, paint brown, glue on wings and beaks from craft foam, and don't forget the google eyes!)

 The autumn leaves are certainly a highlight in our area, and this year the colors were most spectacular. We collected favorites for a week or so, flattening them between books. When we were ready to craft, we spread a thin layer of watered down glue on the leaves and sprinkled glitter on top.  We flipped them over and did the other side, too. Then I sprayed clear glossy paint to hold the glitter in place and give the leaves strength. We attached some gold organdy ribbon and hung them from the lamp over the table. Festive!

I found the GIVE THANKS banner idea on pinterest.. but didn't trace back how to do it until just now... It came from Parents magazine and theirs is definitely nicer, so go check it out here.  I didn't want to make a permanent decoration that we would need to store, so we just used construction paper.  Sheets were cut in half then folded over and stapled for the background of the letters.  The most fun was gathering the materials for the letters!  I admit to doubting that we'd find enough different items to make all those letters, but it really wasn't a problem.  We used pine needles, cone flower seed heads, sticks, leaves, ferns, bark, etc. of various textures and truly enjoyed crafting each letter!  Tacky glue was perfect for adhering all the stuff.

Can a mom (or grandma) EVER have too many handprint crafts? I just had to try this with the boys after seeing it here at Almost Unschoolers...

We made a moose shaped bird seed ornament for our neighbors. Fun little surprise that kids can make to hide on doorsteps!

Lastly, we put together a couple of sweet treats and a conversation starter (quesiton on paper feather) into a paper tube decorated to look like corn. These corn party favors have become a family tradition!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bird Seed Ornament Gifts

Looking for a fun way to surprise wonderful people this Thanksgiving?  How about whipping up a batch of bird seed ornaments! This idea was originally posted by eighteen25 and Design Dazzle as a summer craft idea but lends itself well to the holiday season, especially given that birds are in more need of nutrition as the weather cools.  

The recipe is easy enough for kids to do, the ingredients are simple, sharing food is a Thanksgiving tradition (even with birds!), and the gift will express thoughtfulness to recipients without being "stuff" they have to figure out what to do with after the holiday!   

What you need:

• birdseed
• cookie cutters or jar lids (to shape the ornaments)
• envelope(s) of plain gelatin (to hold birdseed together)
• wax paper (to set ornaments on while filling and drying)
• ribbon, string or twine (to hang ornament)

How To's:

1) Mix 1/4 of water with one envelope of gelatin in small saucepan.

2) Bring mixture to simmer and keep stirring until all gelatin is dissolved.

3) Remove from heat and let cool for a minute or so while you get a cup of birdseed and prepare a mold (cookie cutter) by placing it on wax paper.  I put ours on a small cookie sheet to make it easy for little hands to transport and maneuver!

4)  Stir in the birdseed.

5)  Spoon the birdseed/gelatin mixture into your mold (cookie cutter) until it is halfway full. 

6)  Lay a knotted loop of ribbon, string, or twine into the mold and bury it with more birdseed mixture until the mold is full.  Use fingers to pack the seed in and spread to edges of the mold.

7)  Let the ornaments dry overnight, then remove the mold (cookie cutter).  We needed to make a big batch in one night, so we quickly tucked the ornament in the freezer for a few minutes (while mixing up the next batch) to get a head start on the hardening.  We removed the cookie cutter carefully so the shape would still hold, but it did take overnight on the counter to completely harden.

8)  Attach a pretty tag (GIVE THANKS found for FREE here) or card and your ornament is ready for giving... or hanging!

Chestnut & Pistachio Shell Turkey Craft

Letting a toddler take you for a walk in the fall can bless you with pockets full of treasures!

Add a pompom head, some googly eyes, craft foam feet, and a pistachio shell beak with a little hot glue and you never know what kind of treasure creature may emerge...

Hey, who said all turkeys had to be cute, anyway?  :)  These goofy guys make us giggle!

Raven (or Crow) Felt Finger Puppet

Caw, Caw! Share some of that lunch?

How-to Hints:  Cut 2 body shapes out of black felt (template below).  Glue two pieces of black feather boa to the middle of the back piece.  When dry, sew front and back together.  Cut small feet and beak from orange felt.  I added a small piece of yellow feathery yarn behind the top of the beak for whimsy. For eyes, I cut a gold sequin in half and added black beads.  Fabric paint would also work well.  I also shoved a little pillow stuffing in the head with a pencil to give it a rounded, 3D (sort-of) look... Have fun!

For a story to go with these puppets, try Martha, by Gennady Spirin.  It's about a family who rescues an injured crow.  They take the crow to the vet, who advises putting it down. The family decides to see if they can nurse it back to health. They succeed, and the crow gets into a little mischief along the way (imagine a crow in your house!).  Eventually, Martha is set free, healed and flying. This compassionate tale is made all the better by extraordinary art work. Little ones will be able to "see" the story before they can read it, pointing out details that the text doesn't cover.  But that's not all!!  The setting of the tale is in Moscow, so kids end up with a window into another culture.  Check it out!

Raven Finger Puppet Pattern

Summer Party Parrots

These guys are all set for Kindergarten Luau! I made the shoulder pattern extra wide so they could fold over before sewing to give the wings a more 3D look.

Free Parrot Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

A great story to go along with this puppet is Rosa's Parrot, by Jan Wahl and Kin Howard.  Wahl's magical and clever story of a human/bird friendship is illustrated with rich artwork. Pico the Parrot helps Rosa, who is hard of hearing, by repeating things for her. Being a parrot though, and possessing the ability of a great and LOUD mimic, he can't resist getting into a little trouble at the market. Rosa figures this out, of course, and is not happy with him. It is not long, however, before all is forgiven and the two are sharing hot chocolate together.  The universal theme of friendship in a setting of overcoming a human disability (hearing loss) make it a great and unique choice for anytime.

Spy Party Game 4: Carrier Pigeon Relay

Carrier pigeons were once used by spies for clandestine communications.

Secret agents were given instructions in game 3.  Agents were divided into two teams.  The letters in their rocks spelled a word clue, a different word for each group that would only make sense if each team had both words. 

Each team started by writing their letters in a notebook.  While some of the members worked on figuring out what the word was, others sent the letters over to the other team. 

Letters were written on small sheets of paper attached to a clothesline and felt pigeon puppet with a clothespin.  The clothesline was attached to trees at kid height and movement of the line was facilitated by pulleys.  Everyone wanted a turn sending messages!

Letters were sent to the other team using secret agent "magic disappearing ink" to minimize the risk of the clue getting into enemy hands.

After a few minutes, the color of the ink disappears, then eventually, the wet spot, too.

The agents discovered that the clue words were:  PLAY ROOM.

Quick as lightening, they were back inside to see what adventure lay ahead...

Note from HQ:  magic disappearing ink and  rainbow spiral notepads were from Oriental Trading.

Pigeon Felt Finger Puppets

Carrier pigeons were historically important for ferrying information across dangerous enemy lines.  How can I put them to work in a spy party?  :)

Bird House Gourd Painting

We inherited a bird house gourd last spring and had great fun painting it.  A bird even attempted to nest in it... It was full of twigs by the end of summer! The boys loved watching the little wren flying to and fro.  What fun!

Of course, the gourd was full of seeds.  We just had to plant a seed or two after we carved it.  Instructions on the web said plant seeds, water, then leave alone until you can't stand to look at them any more (or the gourds have dried).  Easy enough!  The gourds grew and grew, taking over our front yard.  It gave the neighbors something to talk about besides the weather!  By Halloween, the shriveled plants were looking nice and spooky.  We stored the gourds in our garage until last week...

This spring, our job was to decorate!  My plan was to have a neighborhood paint party but the neighbors were all busy with other things, and we wanted to get them out for May Day, so we set to work.  Another great use for the joust pole!  Note, I painted all the gourds white (old house paint) to give the boys an even background for painting.  When the kids got tired of painting, I added the spirals and had them "dot" extra colors.  We used tempera kid's paint for color (WASH OFF!).  Then I added a few coats of polyurethane for weathering.

Do we have seeds now, you betcha!  I think the squirrels got most of them. Meanwhile, the boys are excited to deliver these to neighbors in the morning...

Quacky Spring Greetings

Quacky greetings for your loved ones! You recognize those paw prints from your walls, windows, and floors, but how about relatives that live far away? They'd love to see how much the kids have grown! A cute hand/footprint duck or goose would brighten anyone's fridge. Bright, bold cardstock brings the feeling of spring indoors! Just trace, snip, glue, then use a sharpie for eyes, whala, you're done!

(if you need a pattern for the feet, beaks, let me know and I'll post it)

Make a Flying Falcon- Paper Tube Craft and Game

Here's how to make the falcons we used in the falcon game at our knight party.

1)  Paint a paper tube gray (4.25 inches).
2)  Print out template and trace wings, head and tail onto gray paper
3)  Glue on tail and head using tacky glue. Use a rubberband to hold it in place while it dries.
4)  Glue wings on back and let dry.
5)  Trace feet template onto heavy tagboard, cut out, and paint yellow.
6)  Cut slit in bottom of tube that is slightly narrower than top of feet (about 1.25 inches).  Notch both sides of feet piece where indicated and bend in to insert into tube.  Unfold when feet are in the right place/tube is inside the notch. 
7) Reinforce feet/tube connection with tacky glue or hot glue.
8)  Hot glue magnets onto bottom of falcon feet.
9)  Paint additional features on falcon (beak, eyes, tail stripe, etc.)
10)  Bend/curl beak a little to give it a predator's curve.

Falcon Template For Paper Tube Craft and Activity

Valentine Love Bug Flyer Game or Craft

Craft cute love bugs as decorations for your Valentine's Day celebration!  All you need is a paper tube (toilet paper or sections of paper towel tube), colored paper, glue, paint, paper, scissors, and/or marking pens to decorate. 

I've posted a template below for easy use, so creating these with your little ones will be a snap.

Valentine Celebration Hint:  Put a small prize inside the tube and hang the love bug where he/she is sure to see it on Valentine's Day.  Or, insert a bamboo stick into the bug, hide a prize (love note, or clues leading to a prize) inside, and place inside a vase. 

Creation Hints:  Use a Q-tip to paint small dots. Works especially well for eyes... add black pupils with Sharpie after paint dries.

Valentine's Game:  Love Bug Delivery!

You'll need one love bug flyer and a 12 foot (or so) length of string per two players. 

1)  Thread the string through the tube on the love bug and have each player hold one end of the string. 

2)  Have the players stand far apart so the rope is taut. 

3)  Have one player raise their string holding hand high and the other player hold their string holding hand near the floor.

4)  Slide the love bug to the upper end of the string and let go!  Gravity will "fly" it down the string towards the other player.

5)  Players take turns raising/lowering their string ends to fly the bugs between players (bug will fly backwards in one direction)

6)  Once players get the hang of flying, add a small treat to the cardboard tube and see if they can deliver it to the other player without dropping it. 

Valentine Love Bug Flyer

Valentine Penguin Felt Finger Puppets

Free Penguin Felt Finger Puppet Pattern

Knight Party Game: Fly the Falcons!

Knights and falcons go together like... HISTORY!  For our Winter Knight's Tale party, we discussed how falcons get restless over winter, so it is critical that knights take them out of the castle to stretch their wings and catch some fresh grub!

In this game, knights work with a partner. The falcon is made of cardstock paper on a recycled cardboard tube. A string is stretched through the paper tube falcon from one knight to his/her partner.

To fly the falcon, the child nearest the bird must raise their end of the string up while the other child lowers their end to the floor, keeping the string taut, so that gravity glides the bird down the string. When the bird reaches the floor, the child nearest the falcon picks it up while raising his/her string high. When the child's partner has her/his end on the floor, the bird is ready to glide down the string again. (In this game, birds can fly backwards!)

It can be helpful to make a line on the floor (or use an object, like the "lance" foam insulation tube above) to keep the knights separated by a good distance. This helps them keep the string taut.

Once the kids get the hang of flying the falcon, it's time to go insect hunting. On the bottom of the falcon's outstretched feet is a hot-glued magnet. On the floor between the fliers are small popsicle sticks with stretchy/rubber insects rubberbanded to one side and magnets hot-glued to the other.

Challenge the knights to aim the falcon's descent to pick up the bug (magnet to magnet). All players get to keep a falcon and an insect for a prize!

Patterns/directions for making the falcon are on a separate post.

Note:  Of course, real knights would use hawks and larger falcons to go MAMMAL hunting. In this party game, we opted for a smaller, insect eating species because my boys didn't want to hunt rabbits or other furry "game" for their party.

A Basket of Peace

I made these same puppets last year, but the new ones looked so peaceful in the basket as they awaited travel to kindergarten, I just had to snap a photo to share wtih you... May peace find you on this special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday!

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Thanksgiving Turkey Seed Pod Tambourine Craft

I made a bunch of Turkey tambourines to go along with the cute preschool songs about Thanksgiving after watching my preschooler play with these seed pods on an afternoon walk.  We picked up handfuls, sandwiched them between craft foam (hot glue), added googly eyes and had a new instrument!  The seeds in the pods rattle when shaken.  The overall size is about 5 inches or so.

Thanksgiving Hanging Turkey Yard Ornament

These guys always announce the Thanksgiving holiday when hanging from a tree or porch. Alternate them with strings of large leaves (3 together) for a festive combination.  All that is needed for this inexpensive craft is sturdy craft foam and tacky glue.  Find patterns below, if you like!

Turkey Template

Big Leaf Template 0001

I linked at this AWESOME party: