Making "fuzzy felt" - (for americans flannel graph characters)

My last post was a quick one about Star Wars fuzzy felt. Here's how it was made, You need:

• T-shirt transfer paper
• Felt (Preferably white, but as light as possible)
• Heat tool - iron or hair straighteners
• Pictures on computer- printer

1. Gather pictures from online using clip art or an image search, or even scanning pictures. I personally copy all pictures and then paste them onto powerpoint and arrange them to get the best value from the paper.

2. Once happy with page, print onto transfer paper.

3. You can then iron straight onto the fabric, I only cut out to fit onto different sized felt.

4. Iron onto felt, as packet instructions. This will say the use of an iron but hair straighteners work just as well for small things (if you can't be bothered to get the iron out :)

5. Peel off the paper, I find the quicker this is done the cleaner the end result.
6. Cut out the pictures.

7. You can do any pictures you want, utilising interests and accompanying stories etc.

All Play On Sunday - My new blog

Right guys, I realise I have been posting a lot on here re: Sunday school type stuff which wasn't the original intention of this blog. So I have created a new blog dedicated to just that. That will hopefully make it easier for followers to search and try to encourage me to post on here too with Early Years/ SEN/ Inclusion stuff.

So new blog is .... www.allplayonsunday.blogspot.com

God made my ears

Ok so I bought this game about five years ago from the Early Learning Centre, for prob about £6-8, since then I have seriously not getting a couple more (just in case) because they no longer sell them and as far as I have seen nor does everywhere else in the UK (if you know otherwise let me know- please). I is however avaialable at Toys R Us USA

It is a simple sound lotto game with various leveled functions, and a variety of abilities can play. I personally don't like the pictures, so I created photos for each of the sounds. It worked brilliantly as a "God made my ears" activity, the electronice sound machine is highly motivating for children to engage with, although they need support. Of course any sound lotto activity would work.

God made my hands

For God made my hands I made these sensory matching tiles, sticking matching textures in discarded "Lush" lids but any lids would work (even fizzy drink bottle I think). One set could be put in a bag and found simply by feeling.

God made my nose

This is my "loose" link to God made my nose, I have made the playdough scented adding cocoa to one batch and ginger to the other. Well actually they both have cocoa I added it with the flour, just a couple of desert spoons full, to give colour and a light scent. I then added more cocoa upon kneading to half the batch and ginger powder to the other, adding both until the scent was noticeable.

God made me!

Well actually we are looking at "God made me special" Original inspiration came from Toddleriffic, and their session title is "God made me precious" and whilst this is true, it is rather a difficult word for little people and a little pretentious. We will be thinking about how God made each one of us in the context of the creation story. But I'm supplementing it with this book I simply love the above book and am using this as a basis for the session.

We will be saying and actioning this lovely rhyme from Toddlerific

I plan to set out a "station" for each sense/ body part, or a discreet activity to consider God creating us.

• God made me
• God made my eyes
• God made my ears
• God made my nose
• God made my mouth
• God made my hands
• God made my feet
• God made everybody

For each of the stations/ activity I will have these cards and will then use them to introduce the story of our creation.

Playdough people 2

And so the play continues, cutting out people with gingerbread men cutters and adding features, with buttons or using the limbs and facial features from the people set. I intend on using these at church on Sunday with 3-4 year olds, I think I will also add Mr Potato head features for a larger group and those who may want to make larger people. We are going to be thinking about God made me special and making people from playdough seems like an entirely appropriate activity. I have planned a play activity for each of the senses and also for feet, I'll keep you posted.

And then we extend further to...

Hammering golf tees, embossing patterns...

A fabulous pattern, a work of art.

Breakfast with Jesus

Using the little bible people seen previously, in a set up used to tell the story of Jesus appearing on the beach to his friends.

Initially used as a prop to tell the story. "Put your net on the other side"

And then allowed to play with the story. The only thing is, not too happy that the sand does not come off of felt very easily!

Float your boat

Well I've been MIA for well over a month, seriously busy and seems once I let something slip I let it slip further!!! Anyways got a nice store of pics and ideas in my photo collection from the last little while.

Starting with a much better one than the last "HMS Disaster". I think you will see a continued interest of boaty fishy ideas, 1 because we have been doing those themes in Sunday School, 2 boats and fish continue to be super popular themes!

The boat was made with hot cross bun display stand from the co-op, seen in the bin area after easter! I know it would make a brilliant boat, getting it in the car with car seats in caused a bit of a stir in the car park, but results were worth it.

It is seriously strong, rather indestructible considering it's made of card.

Funky Foam Fishing

From boats to fishing....

Funky foam makes most wonderful fish (if a little dead, floating on water), when accompanied by a tea strainer, mini fishing net or in this case a spoon? It provides a great fishing activity. I originally did this a responsive activity in pre-school sunday group where I wrote words on one side, with affirming words about what God thought of the, subsequently a memory verse. You could equally do the affirming words with any group of children, even allowing the children to each pass thier fish to a friend. This group of fish had various emotions drawn on to allow discussion about emotions, there are any number of possibilities (speech sounds, numbers, phonics, colours...) and plain simple free play too.

Row Row Row Your Boat

That classic children's song/rhyme Row Row Row Your Boat, has a few verses added by creative persons along the way no doubt but most people stick to merrily rowing and screaming at crocs. So I've collected them together (If you want it in pdf/ ppt. let me know and i'll mail it until I get my website sorted) including some lovely Christian verses that would most defiantly complement a few Bible stories (including Paul at Sea)

Paul at Sea

There are sooooo many Bible stories featuring boats! Here's one that isn't a "classic" children's Bible story, and certainly not one that has an abundance of ideas relating to it on the web.

Paul at sea snack: Boats made out of small slices of cake with half a bread stick with a rice paper triangle stuck on with melted chocolate pushed in the top to represent a sail.

I am a passionate believer in giving children the freedom to express themselves creatively and not stifling or constraining their creative and exploitive interests. I think this is particularly relevant in "christian responses" where creativity and exploration in many forms mould our understanding and indeed our application of Biblical messages,and even more so in childhood. This theory is well established through the theological model of Godly Play and catechesis of the Good Shepherd, but are probably not widely acknowledged beyond these circles. For those not following these models due possibly in many cases to the high levels of structure and "rules" which possibly put many people off and do not fully express the church, family or individuals character fully, I think there is a middle ground to be found. One that incorporates the nature and ethos of Godly play but expresses the character of the church, family or individuals exploring the Bible with children. The middle ground exists when one acknowledges the foundational theories of Godly play, that is (I believe) the freedom to respond to and explore theological/ biblical stories/ ideas within a safe and accepting environment in a personal and sometimes group dynamic, through the medium and depth one chooses to. Two publications which explore the ethos underpinning Godly play are Playful Orthodoxy and Church at Play and are well worth a read if you are interested in giving children the freedom to respond to and explore the Bible in a meaningful and respectful way.

With regard to my response to Godly Play I think you will realise that whilst I am not a stoic puritan on the programmes application I believe there is significant merit in the ethos and its use as a foundation for any programme that is biblically responsive. In particular relevance to craft I feel the more freedom we can allow children to have when responding to bible stories the better (that is not to say that on occasion a pre designed craft does not have relevance, but feel the question should always be (as with all childhood planning) why am I doing this?)

In response to Paul at Sea, free collages relating to God being with us all the time.


Paper plates used for snack to make snakes, in relation to Paul getting bitten by a snake once docked.

Tall and small

David was small, Goliath was tall. What better way to explore that concept with the ever popular stacking toys. Additionally we could think about (particularly with the ikea gift boxes they are the coloured circles) the concept of it's what's inside that matters to God. We had the russian dolls out too. So here endith the posts on David, for now at least.

Playdough sheep

To accompany the David Bible story (and just for fun) I made white and whitish playdough to create sheep. The white playdough was made contained only cornflour (cornstarch), using recipe 1 from the Gluten free playdough . The whitish playdough was made using a traditional playdough recipe but substituting plain flour for half self raising and half cornflour. I simply did this as I was running out of cornflour and thought it was interesting to have two types of dough.

The dough was supplemented with short lengths of pipe cleaner, buttons and rubber mats for fields (and water). The pipe cleaners were used as legs and... caterpillar spines, claws, hedgehog bristles (sorry no pics). But the buttons were used as faces and flowers on bushes (in field of sheep) and then we progressed to fish and they become fins and spines on fish!!Oh how creative.

The mats which are viewed on this page are from a twister scram set which I find useful for so many other activities far from thier intended purpose. The mats added a new dimension to the dough play both structuring and extending creative play. I think these will be availible freely for children to access from now on. You can use; table mats, coloured chopping boards or laminated card to the same use.

Making dolls AKA "Bible Dolls"

So here goes an attempt at demonstrating the very simple process of making the dolls without confusing or making it seem complicated...You need: 2 pipe cleaners, 1 bead, cotton/ thread, felt, scissors and needle (a hot glue gun would also be very useful)
Fold both pipe cleaners in half, choose the one that will be the legs/ body and push bead on top.
Slide other pipe cleaner and over the body and position just below head.
Bring ends of pipe cleaner to meet in the middle.
Twist arms to secure and create hands (if you hold the "hand" between your fingers and twist it usually creates a good shape) squeeze to secure further.

Bend the end of the legs up (about 1cm) and then do so again (to create a rounded end and no sharp bits) and bend to a right angle to create feet.

The basic doll is now made, below is a simple costume. You of course can be creative with your costumes (I would love to see finished creations)
Cut felt into this shape by folding and then cutting so you have a perfect tabard. Cut a little slit (0.5 cm) on the crease. Remove the head and poke neck through the slit.
Sew up edges, I usually use a blanket stitch, but if short of time a running stitch or even a glue gun.
For simple head dress cut a T shape out, ensuring the top of the T is the same width "ish" as the bead.
Sew the right angles of the stick of the T to the top along the right angle >T. (Hope that makes sense can't make it sound obvious)
This is what the head dress should look like?
At this point you need PVA or a glue gun (defiantly preferable). Squeeze glue into the top of the head inside until a little ooses out of the hole, this will hold head in place. Then stick on the head dress, you may need to use a bit more glue on the sides of head but if using a glue gun the prior should suffice.

If you are not wishing to use glue I suggest you sew the head on several times to the clothes/ neck by sewing in and out of the bead hole. Then sew the head dress to the top of the clothes along the bottom of the head dress.

I hope you found this useful and not too confusing, feel free to contact me for questions. I'm sorry the picture quality is not brilliant. Happy making