Q: My children love to draw and create stories of their own. We have used chalkboards and dry-erase boards, but they're getting a bit bored. Is there something new to keep them inspired?A: You definitely don't want to stop your kids from expanding their creativity, and I love the idea of allowing them to use colors and shapes to create stories. So I've come up with the perfect solution: it's a felt storyboard that hangs right on your wall. It's ideal because its up off of the floor, so you don't have to worry about space constraints. Your kids can create new images every time they use it with ready-made felt letters and cut-outs. And I know that kids love working with felt. It's a fun fabric!
For the base of the storyboard wall, I'm going to use foamcore. It's easy to work with; you can find it at most crafts stores; and since it's so lightweight, you don't have to worry about it falling over and hurting your child.
1. Foamcore comes in various sizes, but for this project we used 40"x 60" pieces, 1/8" thick (this is the most readily available larger size). Cut the width down 3" to create a 37"x60" piece. This is to allow coverage with the felt yardage without having to piece it together in two sections. With a straight edge and a pencil, draw a 3" border on all four sides of the foamcore.
2. Use a sharp utility knife to cut out the 3" squares in each corner that were created by your pencil lines. Remove these pieces.
3. Using a straightedge and a utility knife, score along the pencil lines on all three sides, being careful not to cut all the way through.
4. "Pop" the scored edges to create hinged borders on all four sides. The corners should line up when folded together.
5. At this time you want to lay the frame down on the felt yardage and trace around it; this will give you a pattern with mitered corners that will fit the frame nicely. Add an additional 1/2" around the pattern, except on the mitered corners, to allow for covering the edges of the frame. Cut out the felt and set aside.
6. Run sturdy tape completely around the perimeter of the foamcore to create a boxtop shape. Go around the frame a second time to give it more stability.
7. Use spray adhesive to secure the felt yardage to the frame.
8. Add a decorative edging such as rickrack to the border of the frame.
9. Add a hanger for hanging the frame.
Once the board is complete, you need to create the images to put on it. You can either go out and buy ready-made felt letters, numbers, or even shapes, if you want. For this project my kids wanted to be able to create their own story, so I took one of their favorite books as a template and transferred them into little felt people. To do that, I just used a projection screen and traced the images onto paper; then I traced the paper patterns onto the felt and cut them out.
Here's a quick trick to making the cut-outs actually stay on the board:
1. Attach fine sandpaper to the back of the felt pieces with spray adhesive.
2. Cut out the shapes.
I found that using the sandpaper really helps the figures stay in place a lot better. Like I said before, you can go out and buy letters, numbers and even symbols, but I found it so much more personal and fun to create our very own characters for this project. It may have taken us a few more steps, but the end result is amazing.
By using foamcore, we created our base. We attached the felt, added some nice rickrack for a pretty trimmed edge, and then we made the kids' favorite storybook characters. This felt storyboard is perfect for almost any age. It's as great for a toddler who's trying to learn her alphabet and numbers as it is for a school-age child who is learning to expand his creativity and imagination through storytelling.
