(Not a) Flannel Friday - Snow in a Can

Happy Flannel Friday! Today's post is brought to you by Old Man Winter and his lack of influence in Texas this January (seriously, it's going to be 68 this weekend). But I won't let that get in the way of some freezing fun in storytime!

My niece and nephew back home in New York sent me a perfect gift this past holiday season: Snow in a Can. I thought it would be perfect to make with my preschoolers.

I opened the can before storytime even started, since all of the videos I watched had to use a can opener when their pop tab broke (I didn't have a problem, though). Be careful, the edge is sharp! The directions say to make the snow in the can, but I used a clear plastic container.

I made a big production out of reading the instructions, emphasizing to the parents that doing so helped their children realize that those words were important!

We successfully followed the instructions and were rewarded with fluffy snow, as promised!

The children were invited up the front to touch the snow after storytime was over. They were shocked to find that it was even a little cold, just like real snow!

Make sure you check out this week's round up hosted by Kathryn at Fun with Friends at Storytime. You can also find more Flannel Friday at our blog, Facebook page, and Pinterest page.

Definitely a Not Flannel Friday Post

Happy Flannel Friday everyone!

I sat down to work on my squirrels for this week's storytimes and FF entry. I chose the felt, I cut out five squirrels, I warmed up the glue gun. I was doing everything the same way I always do.

And it just wasn't working.

I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong. It wasn't the rhyme (which is super cute), it wasn't the shape, it wasn't the googly eyes, and it certainly wasn't the fault of the glue gun. But something was off. It wasn't coming out the way I had planned in my head.

I realized at that point that "Five Furry Squirrels" was not meant to be. Sure, I could have slugged through it, awkward as it was, presented it to the children. Maybe they would have no idea, maybe they would have sensed the uneasiness, but that didn't sit right with me. Instead, I did what I rarely do, and brought out a squirrel puppet. Guess what! They loved it!

Flexibility is a trait that comes from working with children. We as children's librarians learn to adapt to the setting, changing our minds about storytime, sometimes without even realizing that we are. It's important to go with the flow, think on our feet, and change with the overall climate of the room. Thankfully, with my squirrels, I was given time to reflect on its effectiveness beforehand, an opportunity that does not come often, and I took full advantage of it.

Not every "Five Little..." song can be flannelized. Maybe in the hands of another librarian it would have been spectacular, but now that I'm confident enough in my flannel-making skills, I can proudly admit that my creativity has limits. I can move on to other activities which will be much more comfortable. Maybe one day I'll revisit those squirrels, but for now I'm happy to let go of what could have been. 

Anne is hosting the round up of this week's Flannel Friday posts. Kay Leigh has issued a challenge to everyone involved in Flannel Friday, both bloggers and viewers alike: Post a comment on every FF entry. I've been doing my best to keep up, and it's been a fun challenge to accept. Help us keep the discussions going on our Facebook page and see the pictures on our Pinterest page.