Hi friends!
Since we’ve been talking about watermelon this week at Twodaloo central, I wanted to continue the fun today and show you the newest magnetic play set that I made for the twins- a Felt Watermelon Counting Set! This activity targets one-to-one correspondence, matching number symbols to quantities, and fine motor practice in a playful way.
*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience*
This set is a lot like my much-loved ladybug counting set, but I decided to create it with felt instead of card stock. I have a bit of a felt fetish, so I’ve been looking for some projects to reduce my stash a bit. For the pattern, I just traced a large bowl on some card stock and then cut it in half.
I used my sewing machine to stitch on a few fun details- a satin stitch for the light green line, a wavy stitch on the watermelon’s rind, and some star stitches to show where the “seeds” go. However, if you don’t sew, these could easily be made with liquid stitches, hot glue, or some of the type of adhesive. I added thin strip magnets to the back to stick the watermelons to our magnet board, which is made from an automotive drip pan
.
To make the magnetic “seeds,” I took some black glass gems
(found in the floral department of your local craft store) and glued button magnets
to the flat sides. *As with any activity, please supervise young children carefully when playing with small objects, especially magnets, which can damage the digestive system if swallowed.
Younger children will be occupied by just placing the “seeds” on the watermelon. If you are introducing numbers, you can add a set of magnetic numbers
to match with the correct quantities.
Absolutely amazing! I love it. Love that it’s magnetic and the glass gems are perfect!
These are so fun! Love how you put them together.
I love this!! I have a bit of a felt thing too and it always just looks so inviting for kids i think! This is such a lovely idea and i know my twins would love it!
Awesome, what a fab idea.
Beautiful and meaningful . . . what a great combination! Thanks for sharing your awesome post at Stress-Free Sunday!
This is such a cute idea! I love that it is magnetic.
I really do think you are the felt queen!! This is one of my favorite felt sets you’ve made (although it really is super hard to choose!) Love, love, love!
Wow this is so creative!! I love the stitching lines in your felt, just beautiful!! I have no sewing skills what so ever. I am not even able to mend a sock with a hole in it! I love this, will pin it now!!
I use those sheets of foam for activities quite often in my PK-3 class. It is so quick and easy to cut. I could make this same activity adding magnetic strips to the watermelon pieces.