No-fuss Feltboard

  

I have made some labor intensive felt boards in the past invollving plywood, glue, wood moulding, etc. But as I dug out the leftover materials today to make a feltboard for my son, I said to myself, "Why all the fuss?" Instead, I just cut out a rectangle of felt the size of our easel, clipped it on, and we were up and running. I cut out simple shapes from felt as my son asked for them and he placed them on the easel. In less then five minutes we had a delightful (and developmental) activity.

 

I cut out a cloud first, just to show him how the felt shapes stick to the felt on the easel. As soon as he got the idea he asked for a sun, and then a house. He requested a foundation, a roof, a chimney, a door with an arch, and a window, Then he asked me to make two solar panels for the roof (the two rectangles you see on top of the house). I was so impressed by his green-ness!

 

I'm trying to keep the shapes super-simple right now, to go along with the shapes I see emerging in his drawings. I am resisting the temptation to make sweet, super-fussy feltboard figures (oh how i want to!). The idea is that if he plays around with the lines, circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles three-dimensionally on the feltboard then he will have a better idea of how to combine these shapes in his two-dimensional drawings. Right now drawing frustrates him at times. He has great big ideas that are hard for his little hands to implement. The feltboard works great because he can play around with shapes and forms without the added pressure of drawing them.

So there it is. The no-fuss feltboard. File that one under the category: why didn't I think of it sooner?

Comments

[Allison G]

That worked really well, I think I will try that out in my classroom!

[Julie K in Taiwan]

Brilliant! That's even easier than my portable one.

http://juliekintaiwan.wordpress.com/2008/06/09/traveling-felt-board/

[Jen]

I've been wanting to get around to doing this for my 2 year old son, but I haven't made the time to sit down with glue, molding, staple gun, etc. You just gave me an easy way out...THANKS! I do have a question...I'm a felt board newbie...what kind of felt do I need? Obviously a big piece for the background...I'll buy that by the yard. But, will those small sheets of craft felt work for the shapes, figures, etc.? Or do I need the 100% wool felt by the yard for that too?

[Jennifer]

Thanks Allison, Julie, and Jen.

Jen - I actually used craft felt for the big pieces and the little pieces because that's what I had left over from a project I did a few years back. The pieces stick just fine. One day I'd love to make a feltboard with that great wool felt... but, honestly, I'll probobly never get around to it. And I think the wool felt is hard to find. So this is working for now, and since it's so easy to get craft felt it can be a constant work in progress.

Thanks for asking!

[FunFelt]

Here are some more easy ideas - one preschool teacher I know got colored astro-turf and put it on the wall - it worked! A missionary in Uganda made a flannel board out of a towel - it worked too! My kids use the back of the sofa - it works! LOL Here is a place to get flannel board figures: http://www.funfelt.com Have fun!
Karen

[Dim Sum,Bagels,and Crawfish]

Great idea and I like how you used your son's input for the shapes (especially those cute solar panels!)

[Erica]

Nice, ours is really simple like that also. Kids love it weither it's simple or elaborate!