Flannel Friday Round-Up for August 2, 2013s!

Are you ready for this week's Flannel Friday Round-Up?

I know I am!

This week's contributions are clever, dynamic, and charming ~ not mention inspiring! Grab yourself a refreshing drink and settle in because you don't want to miss any of these fun ideas.

Here we go:

First up is a ***Newbie Alert*** because we have two ~ yes, that's right! TWO! ~ new Flannel Friday friends sharing their creativity this week.

Please give a warm welcome to Jenna! She blogs at Stories with Ms Jenna where she is sharing her flannel-ized version of Eric A. Kimmel's picture book, The Greatest of All. Jenna's pieces are beautifully done with paint details! I am always envious of anyone who can add details with paint ~ that is just something I can not do well.   :o(   

Soooo, Jenna ~ I am officially envious of you!

Let's give another warm welcome to a team of four youth services librarians from Ohio ~ Miss Kristen, Miss Kristi, Miss Sue, and Miss Carol ~ who blog at Let the Wild Rumpus Start. This week, Sue says they are excited to share their version of the Big Wide Mouthed Frog featuring Australian animals based on the art work of Ana Martin Larranaga. The animals are gorgeously made and, once again, I am envious of the incredible paint details! Ladies, you have definitely inspired me to try my paints again because I have to make this set!

Beautiful!

Next, we have some yummy flannels featuring one of my favorite fruits of the Summer season ~ WATERMELON! Yum!

According to Kathryn over at Fun with Friends at Storytime, Saturday, August 3rd, is National Watermelon Day! And she is inviting us to celebrate by sharing her original rhyme, Sharing Watermelon. Also, shared in the post is a list of books, songs, and links to other watermelon flannels posted by other Flannel Friday-ers. How awesome is that?

Tara ~ from Storytime with Ms Tara and Friends ~ has "a fun way to present a new(er) book" that would pair perfectly with Kathryn's watermelon rhyme. Tara uses a friendly alligator puppet and delicious-looking felt watermelon slice to creatively share the Greg Pizzou's book, The Watermelon Seed. Enjoy! But watch out for a flying...

Continuing on we have:

Katie using her own imagination to create a wonderful flannel set of a little boy who imagines and then draws himself a cute ~ but very demanding ~ monster. On her blog, Storytime Secrets, Katie mentions that this flannel "was probably the most successful" she has ever used with her preschool storytimes! 

Take a look at the little guy. 

Who can resist a cute little monster Like him? 

Not me!

Next, we have Shawn at Read, Rhyme, and Sing who has a toddler storytime favorite, Little Ball, Big Ball. It has been tweaked to include new verses to be used with some very colorful flannel balls. Shawn gets lots of "extra mileage" with this simple but very smart set that can be used for color recognition and counting with even your youngest storytime friends.

I am beyond excited about this next , and a contribution! (It is what I call a Fun Find on my blog and I can never resist them!) 1234 More Storytimes announces that she "found some kids" in the dollar bins of Target! How FUN is that?!??! These kids are perfect! That is all I am going to say because you need to head on over to the blog and check them out yourself. Because who can't use more sweet kids at storytimes?

Now, let's have a little felt-y fun with Animals:

Bridget used her wonderful crocheting talents to bring us some delightful frog magnets. On her blog, What is Bridget Reading?, she provides two original rhymes. Check them out! They will help make your storytime a hopping-ly good time!

Anne at So Tomorrow brings us an unusual prop that is sure to surprise your storytime friends. It is a Nesting Cats set! Along with the set, you"ll find a rhyme that goes perfectly with the prop. Oh, Anne also points you in the direction of a 10% off coupon just in case you too would like to own a set,

Since Anne played with kitties this week, I think I'll share my very excitable puppies that we played with this week. They are based on the puppies in one of our favorite board books. It is a touchy-feely book so the little ones really enjoy it! You will find these silly little guys on my blog ~ Storytime ABC'S. 

Can you believe that Summer is winding down and Fall is just around the corner?!??! Well, Lisa from Libraryland is already prepping for Fall Storytimes with one of my favorite Fall animals ~ SQUIRRELS! She made some cute little squirrel finger puppets. So sweet! She provides two rhymes to help get you started with your own Fall planning and she

even includes a pattern for the puppets! What more could you need to get "squirrel-y" this Fall?

Miss Meg is a Librarian after my own heart! <3 Not only does she like to make sure that her storytime friends have a take-home item, she makes sure it is fun and interactive! Two very important requirements, in my opinion. ;o) But she doesn't stop there ~ she also makes sure that you won't need a lot of time or money! Something quick and simple, too! On her blog, Miss Meg's Storytime, you'll find her adorable hedgehogs. They will easily become a "treasure" that continually reminds our young friends that storytime is Fun!

This next one from Thrive After Three is based on a book that is new to me. Mrs Shaia says that it is one of her favorite Fall stories so I am looking forward to searching it out ~ especially after seeing the magical prop that she uses to tell the story! According to Mrs Shaia, it astonishes the children. I can see why! It is a dazzling display of creativity!

That's this week's Round-Up!
I hope you enjoyed all of the awesome-ness that is Flannel Friday each week.

Thank you to everyone who shared their awe-inspiring ideas!