NPM Day 9: Using Poetry on a Flannel Board or with Props

List poems are great to adapt for use on a flannel or felt board. You can approach this a couple of different ways. You can put all the pieces on and them point to them as you recite the poem or you can put them on one piece at a time as you recite. You can also handout pieces to the children so they can put them on. 

Here are the poems I've turned into felts sets. Links are to my blog posts about them. 

• "Gopher in the Garden" by Jack Prelutsky from Zoo Doings
• "I Planted a Whistle" by Jack Prelutsky from I've Lost My Hippopotamus 

• "I Made My Dog a Valentine" by Jack Prelutsky from It's Valentine's Day 
• "Goodnight Mummy" by Roger Stevens from Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems collected by Jane Yolen & Andrew Fusek Peters 
• "I Made Myself a Snowball" by Shel Silverstein from Falling Up
• "Who Is Tapping At My Window?" by A. G. Deming from A Child's Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa 

You can also use poems in storytime with props. Inspired by Anne who blogged at So Tomorrow, I use "Shadow Wash" by Shel Silverstein from Where the Sidewalk Ends. You just need two different size shadows cut out of felt and small bucket or bowl that you can't see through. 

In March 2024, I created some picture cards to go along with "Percy's Perfect Pies" by Jack Prelutsky from It's Raining Pigs and Noodles. The images I used were mainly from free clipart sets on Teacher's Pay Teachers or clker. I shared the poem during a pie themed storytime and the picture cards definitely added interest for the younger kids. Prelutsky has more poems that would work well with picture cards: "Gloppe's Soup Shoppe" from A Pizza the Size of the Sun and "Bleezer's Ice Cream" from The New Kid on the Block. 

Resources 

• Jack Prelutsky's website
• Teaching guide to The World of Jack Prelutsky on the publisher's website
• Activity guide to Celebrate National Poetry Month with Jack Prelutsky on the publisher's website
• Jack Prelusky Interview on the publisher's website
• Shel Silverstein's website (Be sure to check out the Learning Resources tab!)

Links to My Reviews 

• I've Lost My Hippopotamus