{DIY} Halloween Scarecrow Story

I made this cute Halloween story to tell the kids in our church Nursery today. We were talking about how God has given us our bodies. This story was perfect because the kids were able to add the different body parts to the scarecrow as we talked about each one. The pieces were made from felt. I had attached magnet strips to the back of each piece so I could attach them to this metal serving tray. I like magnets better than flannel boards because they pieces stay in place more securely and don't fall off in the middle of the story.

(Note: My mom told us this story when we were little. I am sorry that I can't give the original author credit.)

Once upon a time there was a farmer. He had planted a beautiful garden filled with corn and wheat and pumpkins and tomatoes. There was just one problem. The crows kept flying into his garden and eating all of his food. So he decided that he needed to build a scarecrow to scare away the crows.

First he added the scarecrow's legs in his blue pants.

Next he added the scarecrows arms in his red shirt.

 Then the farmer added the scarecrows' feet in his black boots.

The next thing the farmer added was the scarecrows' hands in his white gloves.

Then the farmer added the scarecrow's head with his eyes, his nose and his mouth.

The farmer still wasn't done. He added the scarecrow's hair made from yellow straw.

The last thing the farmer added to the scarecrow was his brown hat. The scarecrow was finally complete. The farmer waited in the garden to see what would happen.

Oh no! The crows were not scared of the scarecrow. They came and landed on his arms and pulled at his straw hair. The crows even carried off his brown hat. By now, it was almost time for Halloween. The farmer had an idea. He picked a pumpkin out of his garden. He carved a scary Halloween face in the pumpkin and he put the finished Jack o' Lantern on top of the post in place of the scarecrow's head.

The farmer hid and waited to see what would happen. The crows flew by the scarecrow. As soon as they got close and saw the scary pumpkin face, the crows started to screech, "Caw, Caw!" and they turned around flew away. The scary scarecrow had worked! All the vegetables in the farmer's garden were safe.

The first time I told the story, I simply placed all the pieces on the serving tray one at a time. The second time, I gave each child a piece of the scarecrow to add themselves. One cute little 2-year-old girl was scared of my Jack o'Lantern face. She kept shaking her head "No" every time I added him to the scarecrow. So I quickly replaced the pumpkin with our happy scarecrow face. The kids are so adorable in our class!

They wanted me to repeat the story again and again. It was a huge hit! I am afraid I don't have a pattern for my felt pieces but they were easy to cut out freehand. You can tell this story to your child's play group, nursery, or preschool class. Or just make it for your child to play with and rearrange again and again. Happy Fall!