Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Fun Finds: Little Chicks Glove Puppets

Hi, everyone! 


I am very excited to be sharing one of my recent Fun Finds today! 


If you are new to my blog and don't know what a Fun Find is, you can read a little about them here.


I found these adorable little chicks at Michael's a few days after Easter.  Each kit contains everything you need to make 4 baby chicks. I bought each kit for just $0.44! I love it!


 
The craft kit could be split up so that several little ones could make one chick into an individual puppet to play with. All you need is a popsicle stick or small dowel rod for each puppet.





Or the chicks could be made into "glove puppets" like these happy frogs:



The kit has everything in it to create the chicks for both of these ideas ~ except for the glue (Tacky or hot glue); popsicle sticks for the individual puppets or velcro for the glove puppets. 


Quick note: I just want to mention that I have the kits but you can actually buy every item individually if you would like to make these puppets yourself. Or, if you craft a lot, you might already have everything you need!


Supplies List:

Yellow pompoms 
(1 inch or bigger)

Yellow pompoms 
(1/4 inch)

Wiggle eyes
(7mm round)

Orange felt 
(diamond-shaped)

Tacky glue
or
Hot glue gun

Velcro 
(for Glove Puppets)

Popsicle stick 
(for individual puppet)

Directions:
***Fold the orange felt diamond in half and glue to the middle of the large yellow pompom for the beak
***Glue the small yellow pompoms on either side of the beak for the chick's cheeks.
***Glue the wiggle eyes above the cheeks and beak.

Now your chick is ready  for embellishments ~ like feathers or ribbon for a bowtie or anything else you might want to add. 

I took some craft feathers that we had laying around and trimmed one up to glue on top of my chick's head.

 I had several different types of feathers to choose from
so each chick could have a totally different look depending
on which feather is chosen.
Mine turned out to look like a "punk rocker" chick with a mohawk! LOL!

Isn't he cute?
Once the chicks are all glued together and all decked out, you can decide if you want to make individual stick puppets or glove puppets.

For the stick puppet, glue a popsicle stick onto the back of the chick (see above photo)

For the glove puppets, glue a Velcro dot onto the back of the chick's head so that they can be attached to the fingers of a glove.


 I recommend gluing the "hook" part of the Velcro onto the chicks and the "loop" part onto your glove ~ if you are making a glove yourself.

This is a garden glove that was purchased when it was on sale.
It has been laying around so we re-purposed it. LOL
Any type of glove can be used when making your own. I always look for inexpensive gloves that fit my hand snuggly, so that if a child wants to play with it, the glove won't be too huge to fit the child's hand. If you are making a glove for your child, I recommend buying the stretchy knit gloves that you find at WalMart every winter. :o)

I actually have several different types of gloves that I use at my storytimes. Here are three of them:

The tan glove is the oldest. It was store-bought in a set with several different kinds of puppets ~ I believe they were fairytale sets like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is made of fur and has "looped" Velcro on the fingers. I like it because it can go on either hand.

The blue glove is actually my favorite. It is also store-bought and puppet sets can be purchased to go with it. It is made from a felty kind of material ~ so anything I use on the flannel board will stick anywhere on the glove ~ not just on the fingers. It is also interchangeable for either hand. I like using it when I have fish or birds as my puppets.

The blue and white glove is one of our homemade gloves. It was laying around so we re-purposed it :o) by gluing Velcro dots on each finger. I love using it with fruits and vegetables or flowers when I do a gardening theme.

Well, there you have it! A couple of cool puppet ideas made from my recent Fun Find. I think  we will be having tons of fun with these puppets at our upcoming Farm Storytimes! I hope you have lots of fun if you make some of your own.

Or... how would you like a chance to win everything you need to make your own "Five Little Chicks" glove set?

Keep reading and I will soon explain how to enter a drawing for the set...

First though, here are a few books and fingerplays that you can share with your child(ren) along with the chick puppets:

Dora's Chicks
by Julie Sykes



Five Little Chicks
by Nancy Tafuri

This first rhyme is perfect for the glove puppet! Just add a MotherHen puppet at the end and you have a really fun learning activity to do with your child(ren).
  

Five Little Chicks
(Count-up Fingerplay)

Said the first little chick with a wiggly squirm,
"I wish I could find a fat juicy worm."

Said the second little chick with an odd little shrug,
"I wish I could find a fat yummy slug."

Said the third little chick with a sharp little squeal, 
"I wish I could find some bugs for my meal."

Said the fourth little chick with a sigh of grief,
"I wish I could find a little green leaf."

Said the fifth little chick with a faint little moan,
"I wish I could find a wee gravel stone."

"Now, see here," said the mother from the green garden patch,
"If you want your breakfast, just come here and scratch!"

This next chick rhyme is a TRUE fingerplay. Before I start the fingerplay, I always have the children use their fingers to count to ten with me. ;o)

Ten Fluffy Chicks 

Five eggs and five eggs
   (Hold up five fingers and five fingers.)
That makes ten.
   (Wiggle all ten fingers.)
Sitting on top is the Mother Hen
   (Lock fingers together, knuckles up.)
Crack, crack, crack, what do I see?
   (Clap hands. 1-2-3)
Ten fluffy chickens as yellow as can be.
   (Hold up ten fingers again.)

Okay, one last rhyme ~ for the little chick stick puppet. :o) This is actually a piggyback song which means it is sung to a familiar tune ~ "I'm a Little Teapot".


I’m a Little Chick
(Sung to the tune of:  “I’m A Little Teapot”)

I’m a little chicky.
Yellow and soft.
I was born
Inside a hay loft.
I play all day
And cheep, cheep, cheep.
Now back to the barn
To go to sleep!



There are lots of other exciting Activities, Books, Crafts, and even Snacks (ABC'S) that you can enjoy while sharing the world of Eggs and Chicks with your child(ren). Please visit my Eggs and Chicks ABC'S Blog Hop for more ideas. You will find it by clicking the button below:

Eggs and Chicks ABC'S Blog Hop


Now for the 
Five Little Chicks Glove Puppet Giveaway!

To be entered in a drawing for a chance to win, please make a comment below. (One entry per person.) 

You can comment about your favorite Egg or Chick book that you read with your own child or at your storytimes or in your classroom.
  
You can comment about the kinds of themes or activities you would like to see on my blog in the near future.

You can even comment about the weather you are having in your neck of the wood. LOL!

Actually any polite comment will do! 

I love making new "friends" and getting to know other people who enjoy sharing books and learning activities with young children! I can't wait to read what you have to share!

Have a lovely evening! And as always,

HAPPY READING TOGETHER!

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