Ahhh...childhood in the 80's...Rubik's Cubes, Simon, Smurfs, My Little Pony, Etch-a-Sketch, Cabbage Patch Kids, Atari, Thundercats...and right there on the toy shelf was my beloved Fuzzy Felt set.
I loved this set with the crazy peacock on the front. It contained a "magic" black fuzzy mat and tons of little geometric felt shapes that stuck to it for all kinds of imaginative creations. I remember carrying it around and playing for hours.
It's super easy to make your own set...using flannel and felt. And sharp scissors.
To make a board, you'll need a thick rectangle of cardboard...or just cut two lighter-weight pieces, like I did, and stick masking tape around the edges to hold them together and make it more solid. Then cut a piece of flannel fabric larger than the board, leaving several inches of overlap on all sides.
Heat up the glue gun and hot glue the fabric to the back of the cardboard, pulling it very taught. I glued down the corners last, kind of flattening them out. If you want, you could glue another smaller piece of cardboard over the back later to hide all the rough fabric edges. Your board is ready.
To make some fun felt shapes, search online for silhouette images of animals, transportation, people...whatever your child would enjoy. Copy and paste them, adjust the sizes, and print a couple of sheets to use as patterns. You could also trace around cookie cutters or just cut a pile of colorful geometric shapes to build critters and play worlds with. Use lots of colorful felt.
The shapes can be kept in a plastic zipper bag or little fabric bag. This is a super easy and fun toy...since I had some flannel and felt scraps around, it cost me nothing but a little time to make. My 4-year-old could hardly wait for me to hand it over for her to play.
I have a more elaborate Fuzzy Felt version in the works that would be great for travel
or a gift. Come back later this week to check it out!
