I was called in at the last minute to give a Family Storytime to a group of caregivers and their charges. Needing some extras, I went into the “closet” and found a cute Made-in-China pop-up toy featuring a little rabbit hiding inside a carrot.
I asked my boss what she knew about this object and she replied:
Well, I was mesmerized and so were the kids and their caregivers.
So, I decided to buy one for my regular Storytimes.
A long search came up empty-handed. As no bunnies in carrots were to be found, my crafty side began to think that I could build one myself.
I already had a finger puppet from IKEA that I could use:
So, I gathered together a pair of scissors, a stick, a plastic funnel, squares of orange and green felt, a piece of white fabric to make a “skirt” for the bunny, a sewing kit, thick rubber bands to hold the skirt to the funnel, and a bottle of Weldbond to hold the last layer of felt in place, and … got busy!
Weldbond – It’s the best!
About an hour or so later (twisting the felt just-so was somewhat frustrating!) I had my bunny on a stick. Up and down she goes, depending on her shyness quotient (or how enthusiastically the kids shout out their part in the play: “Yes, she will!”).
Total cost: less than $3. That’s a lot of joy per buck.
And, if I may say so, I think it’s better than the Made-in-China one back in the box in the “closet” at work.
pinterest.com/flannelfriday
and …
Super cute! You should submit this to Flannel Friday today! (What’s Flannel Friday, you ask? The short answer is a round up of awesome ideas like this from Youth Librarians around the world! Here’s a link to the info: http://www.sotomorrowblog.com/p/flannel-friday.html#!/p/flannel-friday.html ) Today’s round-up is here http://librarystorytimeabcs.blogspot.com/
Hello Ms. Anna -
Thanks! She is super-cute, if I may say so.
Took your advice and sent the link to Flannel Friday. Thanks for the suggestiion!
Folks, the best thing about making your own Rabbit in the Carrot pop-up toy is the felt – this big carrot on a stick feels great!
Happy Flannel Friday, everyone! Best, Michael
Welcome to Flannel Friday! This is such a fun idea that I am going to have to steal it. Way to go Anna for encouraging you to join us. We definitely need more guybrarians in FF.
Thanks for the warm welcome, Anne. Isn’t it amazing what guys can do? Cheers, Michael.
Nothing to do with your post, but I LOVE the giraffe motif you’ve got going. B (3 yo) has a green giraffe bed toy named Pickle Honey (he came up with it on his own). Giraffes just make us smile!
Yes, Giraffes Rule! The tallest animal on the planet.
If you want to grab a copy of my giraffes, go to Clicker Clip Art:
http://www.clker.com/clipart-cartoon-giraffe-1.html.
Thanks so much for writing. Get that B more giraffes! Pickle Honey (?!) needs a mate!
Cheers, Michael
Good day!
I’m a student teacher studying at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and we are doing an assignment, create a website incorporating Science, Math, and Technology useful for parents and teachers in early childhood (0 to 5 year old). From my knowledge, this website will only be viewable by our lecturers and not to the open public, but we still need consents for copyright purposes..
I find your website interesting and informative. I was wondering if I can link it as one of online resources available to parents and teachers. I would like to ask permission to link your site into my assignment.
Thank you and God bless!
Kind regards,
Vienna
PS
I can’t seem to find in your website the best way to contact you, hence, this posting. Thank you again!
Hello Vienna -
For sure – please feel free to link Guybrarian for your project (thanks for asking).
Good luck with the assignment and here’s my email if you want to contact me again:
michaelfranicsmccarthy@gmail.com
Say “hi” to Auckland for me – I miss New Zealand!
Cheers,
Michael McCarthy
Thank you for letting me link your site to my assignment. Are you here from NZ? cause you said you miss it? It’s still fall here, but already feels like winter. I tried to email you with that email but bounces back..=(
Thank you again and more power to your website!
Regards,
Vienna
Hi again – sorry about the email address typo. Here it is again: michaelfrancismccarthy@gmail.com. No, I’m in Vancouver. I’ve visited NZ twice and love Auckland; it reminds me of home here in Canada. Best, Michael