Some days I find myself dropping everything to become completely absorbed in a project. Although Sam is a little young for the creation of a felt board and figures, he loved the finished product. And he was perfectly happy to "work" alongside me with felt scraps and glue, constructing his own little project.
This felt-covered dining room table is about how my kitchen counters looked at the end of the day, only covered in dishes. But we created a wonderful board with all sorts of fun figures to stick on and rearrange. I love getting up to my elbows in a project.
I was hoping this would be a good quiet toy for church, and it works to some extent, but I found that I was worrying too much about all the little pieces getting scattered under the pews more than paying attentions to the speakers. And a few board books seems to keep him just as occupied. But for playing at home, it's perfect to pull out every now and again, letting him strew the pieces all over the floor and work out his own stories. I love eavesdropping as he keeps up a running dialogue of what he's creating.
All you need for a project like this is plenty of wool felt in various colors; scraps are just fine and this is actually a perfect way to use them up, craft glue and a piece of sturdy cardboard. Glue a piece of felt to the front of your cardboard and trim it to fit. Then go to town cutting out whatever your imagination comes up with! I just free-handed everything, but I bet you could find some cute images online and use them as templates if you were so inclined. And get creative about reusing your scraps and about what sorts of things you can make with very simple shapes. The snake was inspired by all the little green shards I made when creating the grass. They were perfect snake stripes! You could also make felt "paper dolls," cutting out clothing and various outfits. We later made a baby with removable diapers that Sam can "change" and we also made a little Sam with changeable clothes.
