Springy Arms to the Rescue!

One of my family storytime programs this summer will be about robots. There are plenty of books about robots but I try to have a variety of stories to keep the interest of this multi-age group. The following is the story I came up with to tell using our magnet board. It will work well with a felt/flannel board too.

Springy Arms to the Rescue!

by Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room 

LR1 was a bored little bot. The big robots were always busy running back and forth all day long. Not one had time for him. He wanted to help but no one would stop to tell him what to do.

One day LR1 had an idea. He noticed that the big robots had to slow down to get around him, but he was the only little bot so they quickly sped up again. He thought, "If there were lots of little bots then the big robots would have to slow down even more. Then I could talk to them." LR1 needed to get into the "Robot Production Room" so he could make more little bots. He looked around and saw three doors. One door had the letters RRR on it. That must be the "Robot Repair Room." That was where the robots who broke down went to get fixed. The second door had the letters RLR on it. That was the "Robot Lubrication Room." Once a week each robot went in there to get a bath of fresh oil to keep all parts running smoothly. The third door had the letters RPR on it. "Yes!" said LR1, "That's the "Robot Production Room." Now since LR1 was a very small bot, the door handle was out of reach. For a second LR1 was worried but then he remembered, "I have springy arms. Springy arms to the rescue!" His arm uncurled and easily reached the door handle. He quickly opened the door and slipped into the "Robot Production Room," closing the door behind him. The big robots were too busy to notice. LR1 went to the control panel and punched in all the information needed to make little bots. He made sure that they all had springy arms. Then he pressed the start button. The conveyor belt began to roll. Pieces were assembled. It did not take long to make more little bots. "Now we can slow down the big bots," said LR1. "Follow me!" The little bots followed LR1 into the other room. Almost immediately the big robots started slowing down. They didn't want to trip over the little bots. If they did, they would end up in the "Robot Repair Room." "Where did all these little bots come from?" asked BR1. "We're here to help!" said LR1. "What do you want us to do?" BR1 thought for a moment and said, "It's difficult for us to bend down. Perhaps you can pick things up for us. You can use your springy arms to reach under things for us too." "Great!" said LR1. "Springy arms to the rescue!"

Each little bot was paired with a big robot. LR1 was no longer bored. Not only did he have a job to do but he also now had lots of little robot friends.

LR1 and BR1

 

Doors and Control Panel

 

LR1's arm uncoiled

 





Notes: Since my library has a magnet board, I made my robots out of card stock and colored them with marker. Each "springy" arm is made by cutting a spiral. Then glue the outer end to the back of the robot. Since I am using paper, it will be easy for me to make more robots. I will run a master through the copy machine. I will probably make 10 of each. Five would be fine if you don't want to make that many. The children will get the point. I drew my own robots which is easy to do but you can also use clip art which is also easy to reproduce. The robots can also be made of felt. Some of you may already have ones you can use if you've done the "Five Little Robots" rhyme. I would still make the arms from paper since it coils and uncoils so well. My additional figures will all have numbers. For the little robots it will be LR2, LR3, LR4 etc. and for the big robots it will be BR2, BR3, BR4 etc. LR stands for Little Robot and BR stands for Big Robot. Numbering the robots is optional.

I am hosting this week's (small) Flannel Friday round-up. Click here for the direct link.

Raccoon and the Magic Fish

I wrote a version of this story for a "Night Animals" storytime in 2012. It is based on the popular folktale theme, be careful what you wish for. I never posted it because I did not use original art work but instead used a template from one of the crafts. Since I made an original raccoon for "Mole's New Hole" last summer, I decided to use it for this story. I did make some changes to make the raccoon look younger. Although I wrote this for the flannel or magnet board, it could also be a prop or folder story.

Raccoon and the Magic Fish 

by Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

March 28, 2014

Ryan Raccoon was hungry one night. He came across a stream and decided to catch a tasty fish. He stuck his paw into the water and soon pulled out a fish. "Dinner!" said Ryan with a smile. "Oh, please don't eat me!" cried the fish. "My goodness, why not?" asked Ryan. The fish replied, "Because I am a very special fish. I can grant wishes. All you have to say is, 'Magic fish, magic fish, please grant me a wish,' and I will grant your wish." "I'll give it a try," said Ryan. "Magic fish, magic fish, grant me a wish." "I can't," said the fish. "You didn't say it right." What did Ryan forget? He forgot to say please. Ryan tried again and this time he remembered to say it correctly. "Magic fish, magic fish, please grant me a wish." "What would you like?" asked the fish. "I'm tired of being plain and boring." said Ryan. "I want to be interesting. I want to be green!" "Wish granted," said the fish as he jumped back into the stream. Moonlight was shining on the water. Ryan looked at his reflection. He was indeed green. Ryan ran to show his friends. They were quite surprised to see how he had changed. Possum said, "I'm not sure green is a good color for a night animal. Green is the color of grass in the daylight but it stands out in the moonlight. We don't want to stand out for we are creatures of the night. We think you should change your color if you want to play with us."  Ryan was disappointed that his friends did not like his new color. He went back to the stream and called, "Magic fish, magic fish, may I please change my wish?" The fish poked his head out of the water and asked, "What would you like?" "May I please be blue?" asked Ryan. "Wish granted," answered the fish. Ryan looked at his reflection and indeed he was blue. Blue blended well with the night shadows. Ryan heard a noise. It was his brother and sister foraging for nuts. "Hi," said Ryan. "Find anything good to eat?" His brother and sister stared at him and then ran away. "Oh no," said Ryan. "I think I scared them." I need a happier color." He returned to the stream and asked, "Magic fish, magic fish, may I please change my wish." "What would you like?," asked the fish. "May I please be orange?" asked Ryan. "Wish granted," answered the fish. Ryan looked at his reflection in the water and he was indeed orange. "It's a happy color," he thought, "and it shouldn't scare anyone even if it is very bright." Soon Ryan was very hungry and not very happy. He was so bright that when he tried to have a bug snack, the bugs saw him coming and were able to get away. Even the worms saw him soon enough to hide in the ground. Ryan decided that orange is not a good color for a raccoon and he returned to the stream. Ryan called, "Magic fish, magic fish, may I please change my wish." Again the fish asked, "What would you like?" "May I please be purple?" asked Ryan. "Wish granted!" said the fish. Ryan saw his reflection and indeed he was purple. Purple blended in well with the night. Ryan went to show his mom his new look but when he got home she didn't recognize him. "You are not my Ryan," she said. "My Ryan isn't purple." Ryan ran back to the stream and called again. "Magic fish, magic fish, please change my wish." "What would you like?" asked the fish. Ryan decided that being plain wasn't so bad after all so he asked, "May I please be my plain self again?" "Wish granted," said the fish. Ryan was back to his plain self which he decided was the perfect color for a raccoon to be.

Ryan and Magic Fish - Plain

Ryan and Magic Fish

 

Colorful Raccoons

Folder Version

 

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Brooke of Reading with Red. The Flannel Friday blog has everything you need to know about Flannel Friday.

Rooster Looses His Magic Feather

I found the story this is based on while searching for stories for my Worms Family Storytime which took place last summer. I used it even though the worm is a secondary character. There are other versions such as the one found here.

Rooster Looses His Magic Feather

Adapted from a Chinese Folktale

Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

November 1, 2013

 

Long ago Rooster was the most important animal on the farm. He not only kept the chickens safe but all the other animals as well. He could fly around the farm scaring off foxes and dogs and even sneaky cats so the chickens could roam freely. No animal could get past Rooster for he could easily fly from rooftop to rooftop making sure that all was well around the farm.

One day Dragon and his friend Worm spied Rooster flying around the farm. In those days dragons could not fly. Dragon was curious. He wanted to learn how Rooster could fly all over the farm. Dragon would love to be able to fly like that.

Dragon went up to Rooster and said, "You certainly are very good at flying. I am most impressed. How do you do it?" Rooster was pleased with the compliment so he boasted, "I am very good a flying because of my magic feather. I am the only one who has this magic feather." "I would love to be able to fly like you. Could I borrow your feather for just a little while? I will bring it right back." Rooster wasn't sure he could trust dragon. Just then Worm spoke up, "Don't worry, Dragon will bring it back." Reluctantly, Rooster handed his feather to Dragon. "Thank you!" said Dragon with a big smile as he flew high in the sky. Soon he was so high up that Rooster and Worm could no longer see him.

Rooster waited all day long but Dragon did not come back. "Don't worry," said Worm. "He'll come back tomorrow." But Dragon did not come back the next day even after Rooster called for him all day long. "Don't worry," said Worm. "He'll come back tomorrow." Dragon was still not back the next day. Rooster called for Dragon to come back all that day too. "Don't worry," said Worm. "He'll come back tomorrow." The next day Rooster waited and called but still no Dragon. "When is Dragon coming back with my magic feather?" he asked Worm. Worm laughed and said, "Dragon fooled you. He has your feather and he's not coming back." This made Rooster very angry and he ran after Worm who quickly hid in a hole in the ground.

From that day on Rooster calls for Dragon every morning when he wakes up and then spends the day pecking at the ground looking for Worm.

I used Microsoft Publisher clip art for the figures and the feather is from our craft supplies. I just stuck it on each figure as needed.

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Lisa of Thrive After Three.





The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams is another story that is popular with Flannel Friday folk this time of year. Jenna of Stories with Ms. Jenna just posted her version last week. There are three more versions on Flannel Friday's Halloween Pinterest board - one by Jane of Piper Loves the Library, one by Meghan of Busy Crafting Mommy and one by Mary of Miss Mary Liberry.

I liked the idea of taking the pieces off the board to make the scarecrow in Meghan's version. I was able to find a suitable piece of wood to hold the scarecrow at a craft store. I also used "Velcro" clear dots to attach the pieces to the wood and to each other. I also added magnets to the back so that I can put the individual pieces on the board as I tell the story.

 

The Pieces

 

 

 The Scarecrow

 

 

This was an easy prop to make. Coloring the pieces took the most time. I drew my own figures because I wanted them to be bright and colorful.

 

 

This week's Flannel Friday Round-up is hosted by Katie of Storytime Katie. Check the Flannel Friday pages for everything you need to know about Flannel Friday.

The Three Little Rabbits

While searching the Web for folktales about animals that lived underground, I came across the website of storyteller Dr. Mike Lockett. Among his selections of folktale retellings was a story based on a Turkish folktale, "The Three Hares." I liked the fact that it was similar to "The Three Little Pigs" and that it could easily be made into a board story. I made some changes to the story. For example, the hares are not eaten but end up together in a very large burrow. I also called it the "The Three Little Rabbits." I wanted to make it similar to the version of "The Three Little Pigs" that I tell.

"The Three Little Rabbits"

Based on a story by Dr. Mike Lockett

Mother Rabbit decided that her three little rabbits were now old enough to leave their crowded burrow and make a home of their own. Before they left, she said to them, "Make sure you dig deep into the ground so your home will be nice and safe."

The first little rabbit was lazy. He didn't want to dig and dig. He made his house out of sticks and leaves and bushes and grass. It was right at the edge of the forest. He was hungry after he finished so he went to the meadow to find something to eat. He did not get very far when a fox appeared. The fox was hungry too and when he saw the little rabbit he found his dinner. The fox ran after the rabbit. The fox was fast but fortunately the rabbit was faster. He ran to his home. When the fox got there, he knew exactly what to do. He raised his paw and with one swipe he knocked over the rabbit's house. The little rabbit ran as fast as he could deep into the woods. The fox followed but soon lost him. Fox returned to the meadow to find something else for dinner.

The second little rabbit decided that he did not want to live underground. He went into the forest and found a tree with big roots and decided to build his house between the roots. He made it out of straw and twigs. He too was hungry after he finished so he went to the meadow to find something to eat. Who was also in the meadow looking for something to eat? It was the fox and he went after the little rabbit as soon as he saw him. Fortunately this little rabbit could also run very fast. He was in his new home when the fox got there. The fox decided to knock that house down too. He raised his paw but only knocked part of the house down. He raised his other paw and with one more swipe knocked the rest of the house down. The little rabbit ran as fast as he could deep into the woods. Soon the fox lost him too. A now very hungry fox returned to the meadow.

The third little rabbit paid attention to what her mother said. She went deep into the forest and dug herself a nice burrow. She spent the entire day digging. She made a very large burrow for she did not want to live in a crowded home. This one was much larger than her old home. She was very hungry when she was finished so she went to the meadow to find something to eat even though it was very late. Unfortunately the fox saw her as soon as she got there but this little rabbit was very fast too. She ran deep into the woods with the fox close behind. This time the fox did not loose the little rabbit in the forest but the little rabbit did make it to her home. This time the fox had nothing to knock down. There was just a hole in the ground. It was not even big enough for fox to stick his head in so again fox lost his dinner. He went to bed very hungry that night.

The third little rabbit was glad that she had listened to her mother's advice. She had built a nice safe home and it was big enough to share with her two brothers without it being crowded at all.


Notes: This version was written to be told with magnet/flannel board figures. The animal figures below are based on Microsoft Publisher clip art. The "homes" are original. When telling the story, add the other rabbits to the burrow at the end.

The Animals

The Homes

I'm hosting this week's Flannel Friday Round-Up here. 





The Proud Artist and the Clever Boy

While I was searching for worm stories for an upcoming program I came across a story called "The Art Contest" told by an ESL student from Viet Nam which can be found here. I changed the story to suit my audience putting more emphasis on the artist, keeping in mind the proverb, "Pride goes before a fall."

The Proud Artist and the Clever Boy

Adapted from a Vietnamese Folktale

Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

A long, long time age there was an artist who was very good at drawing animals. He practiced his drawing every day and became better and better as he grew older. He could draw any animal and it was perfectly rendered. People admired his work and he became quite successful. He continued to practice until he became so good that he could draw with a brush in each hand. He was able to draw two animals at the same time! Not only that but he could do it in only one minute.

The artist became quite proud of his accomplishment. He was sure that not one else could draw two animals at the same time and do it in only one minute. Indeed he was so sure that he offered ten gold coins to anyone who could draw more than two animals in one minute. A few other artists tried but none were able to draw more. In fact, none could even draw two animals as fast as he could.

One day a young boy came to take up the challenge. The artist smiled because he thought that the boy was very foolish to challenge him. The boy was far from foolish. He was very smart.

When word got out that a young boy had challenged the artist, a crowd gathered to watch the contest. The artist loved showing off his skills though in this case he thought it was going to be too easy. The artist went first. He picked up his brushes, one for each hand, dipped them into the ink and started to draw. On one piece of paper a magnificant tiger took shape and on the other a majestic lion. He finished faster than he ever had before. It took him only fifty seconds to do the drawings. The crowd was amazed. Surely there was no way that the boy could do better. "It's a shame that you can only draw two animals," said the boy. "I will draw ten!" The boy did not bother with brushes but dipped all ten of his fingers into the ink and placed them on a piece of paper. He moved his fingers down the paper and lifted them off. "Ten worms in less than ten seconds," said the boy. "I win!"

The artist realized that he had been outsmarted. Worms were animals. He had to give the boy the ten gold coins. The artist said, "You may not be the best artist but you are certainly a very clever young man! You have made me realize that I have become overconfident in my abilities and I thank you for that." The boy thanked the artist for the gold coins and returned home.

Tiger

Lion

Worms

The props were simple to make. I used clip art from Microsoft Publisher for the tiger and lion. I drew my own worms. Since I have a magnet board, I just put magnet strips on the back of each paper. Put the tiger and lion up when describing what the artist drew, take them down and put up the worms when describing what the boy drew. You could also simply hold them up to show the audience thus making this a good story to take "on the road." To make them last, print/draw them on card stock or mount them on stiff paper.

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Bridget of What is Bridget Reading? 

Herman the Worm - Vegan Version

One of my family storytime programs this summer will be about "Worms." This theme ties in with the summer reading program theme, "Dig into Reading."

It's been a few years since I used my version of "Herman the Worm."  Unfortunately I do not remember where I got the clip art but it is easy enough to find a suitable worm. I just enlarged the same figure several times. I did write my own version of "Herman" which follows:

Herman the Worm - Vegan Version

Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

  

                                           Sitting on my fence post

                                           Chewing bubble gum

                                           Playing with my yo-yo

                                           When along came Herman the worm.

                                           I said, "Hi, Herman."

                                           He said, "Hi, kid."

                                           Sitting on my fence post

                                           Chewing bubble gum                 

                                           Playing with my yo-yo

                                           When along came Herman the worm

                                           And he was this big.

                                           I said, "Herman, what happened?"

                                           And he said, "I ate a grape."

                                           Sitting on my fence post

                                           Chewing bubble gum

                                           Playing with my yo-yo

                                           When along came Herman the worm

                                           And he was this big.

                                           I said, "Herman, what happened?"

                                           And he said, "I ate an apple."

                                           Sitting on my fence post

                                           Chewing bubble gum

                                           Playing with my yo-yo

                                           When along came Herman the worm

                                           And he was this big.

                                           I said, "Herman, what happened?"

                                           And he said, "I ate a banana."

                                           Sitting on my fence post

                                           Chewing bubble gum

                                           Playing with my yo-yo

                                           When along came Herman the worm

                                           And he was this big.

                                           I said, "Herman, what happened?"

                                           And he said, "I ate a watermelon."

                                           Sitting on my fence post

                                           Chewing bubble gum

                                           Playing with my yo-yo

                                           When along came Herman the worm

                                           And he was this big.

                                           I said, "Herman, what happened?"

                                           And he said, "I burped!"

For those of you who are not familiar with Herman, you spread your arms out more and more each time you say "And he was this big" except for the last verse.  Also, remove the smaller Herman and replace him with a larger one if you are using flannel/magnet board figures. For the last verse, replace the largest worm with the smallest.

This week's Flannel Friday round-up is hosted by Kathryn of Fun with Friends at Storytime.



The Most Wonderful Egg in the World

The Most Wonderful Egg in the World by Helme Heine is a great story that has been adapted for the flannel board. I found one with fantastic felt pieces on Flannel Friday's "Picture Books" board on Pinterest. The original post which has a brief plot summary is here. Years ago I found another version in Books in Bloom: Creative Patterns and Props That Bring Stories to Life by Kimberly K. Faurot (ALA, 2003). I loved the story but I did not love how complicated it was to make the chickens so I decided to simply make them out of card stock. I threw some yarn in a plastic bowl for the nest and that was it. The chickens became rather beat up after several years of use so I decided to make a new set for my recent family storytime program. This time I made a nice nest using a basket and filler shred (aka Easter grass). I also added a construction paper crown which I wore when the king spoke.

What makes this story so great is the fact that you take each hen off the board and place her in the nest to lay her egg. The eggs are previously hidden in the nest. It's a great opportunity to express each hen's personality as she lays her egg. Much can be conveyed by saying "Bawk!" in various ways. This silliness is what makes the story special. It is one of those rare instances when I think the board version is better than just reading the story. The audience loves it.

I really like using the board figures with a prop. It seems to add to the story. I did this as well with "Pot Luck" which is an adaptation of Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong. I'll have to see if I can find another story that would work well with this format.

The Ladies

The Eggs

The Props

Bawk!



This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Katie of the Storytime Katie blog.

The Fisherman and His Wife - Board Story

This post is part of a series of posts about "Telling One Story Five Ways." It is also my Flannel Friday contribution for this week.

Many children's librarians use the flannel/magnet board with only very young children to display figures for counting rhymes and other similiar early literacy activities. Flannel/magnet boards are also great for storytelling. The figures on the board provide visual clues to help young listeners focus on the story but still allows them to imagine the action.

A simplified version of "The Fisherman and His Wife" can be found in Stories That Stick: Quick and Easy Storyboard Tales by Valerie Marsh (Upstart, 2001). It is called "Magic Fish" and patterns for the figures are in the book. Since the patterns are used for other stories in the book as well, they do not quite work with this storytelling project so I have created my own story and patterns.

The Fisherman and His Wife

Linda Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

Long ago there was a poor fisherman who lived with his wife in a tiny little shack by the sea. Even though he went fishing every day, the fisherman never caught many fish. Sometimes he caught one or two and sometimes none at all.

One day the fisherman went down to the sea to fish as usual. The waves were high as he went out in his little boat. The fisherman feared he would catch nothing that day but much to his surprise there was a tug on his line as soon as he put it in the water. The fisherman pulled up a huge fish. It was like none he had ever seen before. Just as the fisherman was about to pull it into his boat, the fish spoke. "Please spare my life!" said the fish. "I will grant you a wish if you do." The surprised fisherman let the fish go. "I could not harm a fish that can talk," he said as he watched the fish swim away.

The fisherman returned home and told his wife about his strange experience. "What did you wish for?" she immediately asked. "I forgot all about the wish because I was so surprised," he replied. "Go back right now and ask for a nice house. I'm tired of living is this run-down shack. You spared his life so he has to do what you ask." Reluctantly the fisherman went to the edge of the sea and called, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." The fish quickly appeared. "What does she want?" asked the fish. "She wants to live in a nice house," answered the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it disappeared back into the sea. When the fisherman returned home there was a lovely house where the shack had been.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife said to the fisherman, "This house is not big enough. Go back to the fish and ask for a fine mansion with servants." The fisherman went back to the edge of the sea and called, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." "What does she want?" asked the fish popping up above the waves. "She wants a bigger house. She wants a mansion with servants," answered the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it went back into the sea. When the fisherman returned home he found a fine mansion where the house had been.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife decided that the mansion was not enough. She said, "We should be living in a castle and I should be Queen and you the King." "I don't want to be King!" replied the fisherman. "Fine," said the wife, "I will be King instead." She made the fisherman go back to the edge of the sea to call the fish. "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish," called the fisherman. "What does she want now?" asked the fish coming up from the water. The fisherman answered, "She wants to live in a castle and be King of this land." "Her wish is granted," said the fish as it dove back into the sea. When fisherman returned home he found a castle where the mansion had been. Inside his wife sat on a throne wearing a crown.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the wife decided that being King of the land was not enough. She wanted to be Emperor of the world and live in a huge palace. Again she made her poor husband go back to the edge of the sea to call the fish. "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish," called the fisherman. Again the fish rose out of the sea. "What does she want?" asked the fish. "She wants to be Emperor of the world and live in a huge palace," said the fisherman. "Her wish is granted," said the fish. The fisherman returned home to find a huge palace where the castle had been. It took him an entire day to find his wife in the huge palace. She was sitting on an even bigger throne wearing an even bigger crown than before.

Is that the end of the story? No. A week later the fisherman found his wife staring up at the sky. She turned to him and said, "Go back to the fish and tell him that I want to be Ruler of the entire universe and have an even bigger palace up on the moon." Sadly the fisherman went to the edge of the sea calling, "Oh wondrous fish, my wife has a wish." "What does she want this time?" asked the fish coming up out of the sea. "She wants to be Ruler of the universe and have an even bigger palace on the moon," replied the fisherman. "I cannot grant that wish. No one can rule the stars and the moon. She must return to the home that she deserves," said the fish as it dove into the sea. The fisherman returned home to find that the huge palace was gone and their miserable shack was back. There the fisherman and his wife lived for the rest of their lives. The wondrous fish was never seen again.

Is that the end of the story? Yes!

Notes: It is fairly easy to find clip art to use for this story. I found similar pieces for a similar story, "The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle," using clip art from Microsoft Publisher. You can tell the story without using the buildings. I would recommend making the crowns to put on the fisherman's wife. Keep the wife at the top of the board and bring the fisherman to the bottom of the board when he goes to see the fish. Be sure to make the fish look unusual and magical (I added some glitter glue).

This week's Flannel Friday is hosted by Lucy of In the Children's Room.

Mole's New Hole

This week's Flannel Friday post was written to go along with this summer's CSLP theme, "Dig Into Reading." The story was inspired by the folktale "The Big Turnip" and Elephant in a Well by Marie Hall Ets.

Mole’s New Hole

Linda Meuse

3/1/13

Notes from the Story Room

Mole popped out the ground. He had just made a new entrance to his underground home. He had a nice new mole-sized hole. Just then Possum came ambling by and saw Mole. “Hello, Mole,” said Possum. “How are you today?” “Fine, thank you,” replied Mole. “I just made a brand new hole for my underground home.” “Oh, may I take a look?” asked Possum. “Certainly,” said Mole, “but be careful. It’s a mole-sized hole not a possum-sized hole.” Possum had never seen Mole’s underground home so he was very curious. He stuck his head in the hole but couldn’t see much. “I’ll just go down a little further,” thought Possum, pushing his front into the hole. “Be careful!” said Mole but it was too late. Possum was stuck. He couldn’t get himself out of the hole. “Help!” yelled Possum. “My feet are up and my head is down. I have nothing to grab on to. Please pull me out!”

Mole tried to pull Possum out. He pulled and pulled but he could not get Possum out. “I’ll get help,” said Mole. Mole found Raccoon who came to help. Raccoon pulled on Mole and Mole pulled on Possum. They pulled and they pulled but Possum did not come out. Rabbit came over to help. Rabbit pulled on Raccoon and Raccoon pulled on Mole and Mole pulled on Possum. They pulled and they pulled but Possum stayed stuck. Squirrel saw what was happening and offered to help. Squirrel pulled on Rabbit and Rabbit pulled on Raccoon and Raccoon pulled on Mole and Mole pulled on Possum. They pulled and pulled but Possum did not move an inch. Skunk came to help. Skunk pulled on Squirrel and Squirrel pulled on Rabbit and Rabbit pulled on Raccoon and Raccoon pulled on Mole and Mole pulled on Possum but Possum was still stuck in the hole. “What are we going to do?” asked Mole. “We can’t pull Possum out.” “I think we are going to have to dig Possum out,” said Raccoon. “But that will ruin my hole and my home below!” wailed Mole. “Let me help too,” said a teeny, tiny voice. It was Mouse who was so small she could barely be seen above the grass. “I would like to help pull Possum out of Mole’s hole,” said Mouse. “We already tried. One little mouse won’t make a difference,” said Raccoon. Mole really didn’t want his nice new hole ruined so he said, “Let’s give it one more try.” Mouse pulled on Skunk and Skunk pulled on Squirrel and Squirrel pulled on Rabbit and Rabbit pulled on Raccoon and Raccoon pulled on Mole and Mole pulled on Possum. They pulled and pulled and Possum finally came up out of the hole. “Thank you,” said Possum. “I am really happy to be out of that hole.” “Not nearly as happy as I am,” replied Mole looking at his nice new mole-sized hole.

Note: This story was written to be told with flannel/magnet board figures. When making the figures make sure that Possum's back half is bigger than the front so that he gets "stuck" in the hole.

The cast of characters ready to be laminated:

Squirrel, Rabbit, Mouse

Raccoon and Skunk

Hole, Mole and Possum

This week's Flannel Friday is hosted by Lisa of Libraryland.

Karen's Valentine's Day Surprise

This story can be told two ways, either as a draw and tell story or as a board story.

Karen’s Valentine’s Day Surprise

Linda Meuse

1/25/13

Notes from the Story Room: http://meusenotes.blogspot.com/

Note: This story can be told two ways. Draw hearts following the placement sequence for a draw and tell story. Use precut heart figures for a board story. Make sure to use material that will allow the figures to stick on top of each other. Another option is to simply glue the figures onto each other with a glue stick.

“Oops,” said Karen. She had been in such a hurry that she had dropped her bag of Valentines and it landed upside down spilling all her valentines onto the floor. (1) She quickly scooped them all up and put them back in the bag. She went downstairs, had her breakfast, and started out the door to catch her bus. Her mom called after her, “Have a good day, Karen. When you get home there will be a special Valentine’s Day surprise waiting for you.” All the way to school, Karen wondered what the surprise could be. She had no idea. When she got to school, Karen had to wait until it was time to give out her valentines. Finally the time came when she could give out valentines to all of her classmates. Not all of the valentines were for her classmates. She had a special one for her teacher. (2) She even had valentines for the school nurse and the school librarian. (3) Then she gave out her valentines to her classmates. (4) Karen got lots of valentines from her friends. (5) Her friend Mary gave her a pretty one that she had made just for Karen. (6) Karen had a great day at school but was happy to go home to see her Valentine’s Day surprise. Can you guess what it was? It was a cute little puppy for Karen to love. She named it Val for it was her own special Valentine.

Drawing/Placement Sequence
(1) Draw/place largest heart upside down.
(2) Draw/place next largest heart on top of the first heart
(3) Draw/place hearts for ears
(4) Draw/place hearts for inside ears and paws
(5) Draw/place hearts for eyes and nose
(6) Draw/place heart for tail

Pattern for Draw and Tell Version

Board Version

(I would use colors with a greater contrast. I'm stuck at home awaiting knee surgery so I had to use what I have at home.)

Template for Heart Figures

(I used "Autoshapes" in Microsoft Publisher to make the hearts.)

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Sarah of Read It Again! Everything about Flannel Friday can be found here.

Porter Penguin's Adventure

I wrote the following for an upcoming family story time program on penguins.

Porter Penguin’s Adventure

by Linda Meuse
January 11, 2013

Note: This story was written to be told using magnet or flannel board figures.

Porter Penguin liked living near the South Pole. (Place penguin on board.) There was always something to do even if it was very cold where he lived. (Add hat and scarf to penguin.) He liked to ice skate. (Add skates.) Sometimes he would play ice hockey with his penguin friends. (Add hockey stick and puck.) He also liked to ski up and down hills of snow. (Remove skates, stick and puck. Add skis and ski poles.) Porter liked sledding even more than skiing. (Remove skis and poles and add sled.)

As much as Porter liked his home in Antarctica, he was curious about other places. (Remove sled, hat and scarf.) He had heard that it was warmer “up north.” (If desired, insert a geography lesson here.) One day he decided that he had enough of the cold and was going to explore someplace new. He jumped into the ocean and swam and swam. The water became warmer and warmer. Finally Porter saw a sandy beach. He swam over, got out of the water, found a shady spot and had a nice long nap.

When Porter woke up there were children playing on the beach. He joined them in a game of catch with a beach ball. (Add beach ball.) That was fun! More children came and they all went over to a field to play baseball. (Remove beach ball. Add ball and bat. An alternative could be a soccer ball if desired.) Porter had never played this game before. It wasn’t easy for him because he couldn’t run very fast. The children didn’t care because they were having fun with their new penguin friend. Next they took him to a water slide. (Remove ball and bat. Add water slide.) Penguins are very good at sliding and splashing so Porter really enjoyed this. (Remove water slide.)

Porter had a great time at the beach that day learning many new things but he missed his snowy home. So the next morning Porter said goodbye to his new friends and jumped back into the ocean to swim home. When he got home he told his penguin friends about his adventure. He had brought something back with him that he could use at home. The ocean is cold where he lives but penguins are made for the cold so he will have no problem using his brand new – surfboard! (Add surfboard.)

 

 

 

 

 

This week's Flannel Friday Round-up is hosted by Storytime ABC's. Complete information about Flannel Friday can be found at http://flannelfridaystorytime.blogspot.com/.

It's Not a Worm! It's a Tail!

As I was weeding our professional collection last year, I came across a collection of puppet plays, Pocketful of Puppets: Three Plump Fish and Other Short Stories by Yvonne Winer (Nancy Renfro Studios, 1983). One of the plays, "Three Little Mice with Three Grand Tails," could easily be adapted into a flannel board story. I made a copy and put it into my Family Story Time folder. When I decided to do my recent "Tail Tales" program, I adapted the story for our magnet board. My version is called, "It's Not a Worm! It's a Tail!" It can be found as a Google Drive document here.

I made my own figures for the board with the exception of the frog and owl. I found exactly what I wanted in the clip art file of Microsoft Publisher for the frog. The owl is also from Publisher. I just used the piece that I had made for "Boastful Beaver and His Beautiful Tail." The other figures are based on combinations of various clip art pieces but are basically original. I used marker to color the fish and the frog but used poster paint for the mice and the bird. I prefer using poster paint for large pieces (better coverage and no streaking). I painted all of the mice because I wanted them the same color. I got a little carried away with the big mouse and he turned out quite a bit larger than the others. I originally wanted to make them stand-up figures but ran out of time. I need to find a good way to support the tails. The original plan was to use clothes pins to clip the figures onto the tails but that made them too heavy even though I had put extra card stock on the back to make the tails stronger.

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Cate of Storytiming. Flannel Friday has everything you need to know including information about past and future round-ups, Flannel Friday's Pinterest boards and Flannel Friday's Facebook page.

Boastful Beaver and His Beautiful Tail

I came across a version of this Ojibwa story when searching for folktales about tails for my next Family Story Time. The version that I based my adaptation on can be found here. I decided to make it into a magnet/flannel board story which can be found as a Google document here.

The story reminded me of Keith Faulkner's The Long-Nosed Pig which is one of my favorites. (This pop-up book is a great choice to read to large groups. I have used it for numerous class visits as well as storytimes. Sadly it is out of print.) Faulkner's book inspired my retelling though I am dealing with the opposite end.

I used clip art for my animals, some from Microsoft Publisher and some from other sources such as Open Clip Art Library. Since only two animals are on the board at any one time, I made the figures larger than I usually do.

Beaver - Before

The Other Animals

Beaver - After

This week's Flannel Friday Round-up is hosted by Tracey of 1234 More Storytimes.

The Fox and the Hedgehog

This summer one of our preschool storytimes featured hedgehogs. Since there are not too many stories available about hedgehogs, I searched the Internet for a folktale that I could adapt for the magnet board. "The Fox and the Hedgehog" is based on what I found. The story is about a fox who gets himself and his friend hedgehog into trouble. The clever hedgehog gets himself out of trouble and shows the fox how to save himself.

The Fox and the Hedgehog

Adapted by Linda A. Meuse

Notes from the Story Room

Summer 2012

Once upon a time there was a fox who came upon a grapevine full of ripe, tasty grapes. He sneaked through a hole in the farmer’s fence and helped himself. Yum! He went back to eat grapes again and again. One day he met hedgehog and told him about the delicious treat. “Come with me,” he said. “The grapes are delicious!” “Won’t the farmer be angry?” asked hedgehog. “He doesn’t even know I’ve been eating them,” replied fox.

But fox was wrong about that. The farmer had set a trap. As fox and hedgehog approached the grapevine, the ground gave way beneath them. Fox and hedgehog ended up at the bottom of a large hole in the ground. It was too high for them to climb out. “I never should have listened to you,” said hedgehog. “Stop complaining,” said fox. “We need to figure out a way to get out of here.” “Oohh,” said hedgehog, “I don’t feel well. My tummy hurts. I think I’m going to be sick!” Hedgehog then curled up into a little ball. “Well, you aren’t going to be sick in here with me!” said fox. He picked up hedgehog and threw him out of the hole. “Thank you, fox!” said hedgehog uncurling himself. “I feel much better now!” “Hey, what about me?” yelled fox. “I need to get out too!” Hedgehog looked around and saw some garbage rotting by the fence which gave him an idea. He took some of the smelly trash and threw it into the hole. “Smear that all over you and pretend to be dead when the farmer comes. He won’t want a stinking fox by his grapevine so he’ll throw you out of the hole and onto the garbage pile.”

Lucky for fox that is exactly what happened. As soon as he landed in the garbage pile, fox ran through the hole in the fence. Fox never went near those grapes again and hedgehog never followed fox into trouble again.

Notes: This story is based on “The Fox and His Bagful of Wits and the One-Witted Hedgehog,” a folktale from Romania which can be found here: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0105.html

The fox and grapes are clip art from Microsoft Publisher. I drew the hedgehog following Jan Brett's instructions.

This week's Flannel Friday Roundup is hosted by Lisa of Libraryland. All things Flannel Friday can be found here: http://flannelfridaystorytime.blogspot.com/

The Farmer's Dream

I needed a board story for a recent "Dreams" storytime. I found a story from 1001 Nights that I used as a starting point for the following story. By keeping it simple, I ended up with a nice story to tell using our magnet board.

The Farmer’s Dream

Linda A. Meuse

(Notes from the Story Room)

Long, long ago there was a farmer who had been very prosperous but due a series of misfortunes had become quite poor. His once beautiful house with a green roof and two chimneys was falling apart. His once lovely garden with its beautiful fountain of a great stone bird was brown and bare. Water no longer flowed from the fountain.

One night the farmer had a dream. In this dream he was told to go to the city to seek his fortune. The next morning the farmer decided to do what the dream told him to do, go seek his fortune in the city. He had nothing to lose for he certainly wasn’t finding his fortune in the country. He traveled all day and when he got to the city it was very late and he was very tired. The farmer decided to rest in the park. Soon he was asleep. He was awakened by shouts of “Stop! Thief!” Someone had been robbed. Unfortunately the police thought he was the robber so they grabbed him and threw him in jail.

The next day he was brought before the judge. Fortunately the person who was robbed came forward and said that the farmer was not the thief. The judge said, “You are a very lucky man. What brings you to the city?” “I was told in a dream to seek my fortune in the city,” replied the farmer. The judge laughed. “You are a fool to believe in a dream. I had such a dream once. It told me that I would find my fortune in the country. There I would find a house with a green roof and two chimneys. I would find a chest of gold coins buried under a bird fountain. It was just a silly dream for everyone knows that houses don’t have green roofs! If you are smart, you will return to the country and not waste your time in the city.” “Oh, I will, your honor!” replied the farmer. “Thank you so much for your excellent advice. My house is the best place for me to be.”

The farmer immediately returned to his home in the country - the house with a green roof and two chimneys. What do you think he did as soon as he got home? That’s right, he dug under his bird fountain and found a chest full of gold coins. His dream had come true in a most unexpected way.

Notes: This story is based on “The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through a Dream” from The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. Complete information can be found here.



Farmer, Fountain, Treasure Chest, Judge

I made figures for the farmer, the judge, the fountain and the chest of gold. I made the fountain rather large so I could place the chest behind it. I kept the fountain at the top of the board and moved the farmer to the bottom of the board when he traveled to the city.



Erin of Falling Flannelboards is hosting this week's Flannel Friday Roundup.