FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Flannel Friday?
Flannel Friday is a weekly event in which participants post a description of a flannelboard, puppet, or prop storytime activity every Friday. It is a way of sharing ideas, encouraging new techniques, and building community among children’s library staff around the world.

Where is Flannel Friday?
Currently, Flannel Friday can be found through:
*Posts on participating blogs (see archive or list of participants) and are currently posted to our Tumblr account
*Conversations and links under the hashtag #flannelfriday on Twitter
*Posts gathered and organized on the visual bookmarking site Pinterest
*Conversations on Flannel Friday Facebook page

Who Can Participate?
Anyone can participate in Flannel Friday! As of early 2018, we take submissions through our Tumblr account. You do not have to have a blog or Tumblr account to participate now! 

How Do I Participate?
There are detailed instructions on the Get Involved! page, with many levels of participation. We encourage you to participate at whatever level you feel comfortable. 

What types of posts are good for Flannel Friday?
We prefer that posts are related to non-book, but prop-related storytelling ideas, such as magnet boards, draw and tell stories, and (obviously) flannel board stories. We are OK with including songs or dances that fall in this category as well --for example a creative movement version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We encourage you to post about other topics related to storytime or youth librarianship on your blog, but we try to keep Flannel Friday focused on storytelling. 

Can I post things other people at my library have made?
Yes, if you have received permission from the creator and acknowledge them in your post.

Can I post my version of someone else's Flannel Friday idea?
Yes, it is always interesting to see adaptations. Please credit your inspiration and link back to their original blog post.

Does everything in the round-up have to be newly made that week?
No, please share your past treasures! Newcomers frequently have old creations that they would like to share and some of the thematic roundups lend themselves to pulling out old favorites related to the theme. Flannel Friday is a great excuse to raid your filing cabinets for ideas to post. 

What is the deadline for Flannel Friday posts to be submitted?
Posts must be submitted by 10pm Eastern time on Fridays.

What do I do if I can't post by 10pm Eastern time on Friday?
Please save your post for the next week's roundup.

Where do I find out about past round ups?
Check the Browse Past Round-Ups page.


What do we do on Facebook?
The Flannel Friday Facebook group is a great place to get answers to many of your questions specifically related to Flannel Friday OR anything else related to youth librarianship. We've talked about storytimes, crafts, favorite books, etc.

Do I Have to Be on Pinterest?
No, but it is totally worth it. For more information on Pinterest, see Tech How-Tos.

Do I Have to Be on Twitter?
No! We encourage you to experiment with Twitter as it is a great way for youth librarians to network, but you do not have to tweet to participate. For more on Twitter, see Tech How-Tos.

What is the blog button? Do I have to use it? How do I use it?
The blog button was created by Mel as a shortcut to the FF Pinterest page. You do not have to put it on your blog, but are invited to do so. To put the button on your blog, copy the html in the button box on the sidebar of this page. Follow your blog platform's instructions to paste it into a blank widget area on your own blog.

How and when did Flannel Friday get started?
Flannel Friday was started by Melissa Depper on January 21, 2011. Mel had the idea to post an easily shared flannel idea every week on her blog. The first one was "Down Around the Corner." In the spring, several of Mel's readers decided to play along. The first weekly roundup was posted April 1, 2011 and a weekly tradition was born. Since then, Flannel Friday has had more than 50 participants and countless readers.

If you have a question that is not addressed here, please contact one of our Flannel Friday Fairy Godmothers at flannelboardfriday [at] gmail [dot] com.