Thursday, September 5, 2013

Flag Peg People Around the World

School doesn't officially start until September 6 for us over here in Germany but that doesn't mean we are not anxious to! :) Until I get back to my regular posting about what we've been up to on that matter, I thought I'd let you know how we've been preparing for it. For example, this year, Adrian will be presented with a lot of geography activities. We've never really done much in that matter because until recently, his interests didn't push him in that direction that much and also, we didn't have access to as many materials as we do now. Overall, Adrian should "visit" every continent this school year, starting with Europe as we happen to live here. Most Montessori schools usually provide a "continent box"/'treasure box" for their students to sift through when it comes to "continental discovery" but as we'll be spending an entire week per continent, I couldn't possibly just put together a box filled with European objects and hope Adrian would have a nice learning week. As such, I'm preparing "trays" filled with actual learning activities that will fit the continent we are learning about. Most activities will include items that could have been found in the continent box (stamps, coins, postcards, etc.), only I will present them instead of simply leaving them in a box. 

Flag Peg People Map Close Up
Europe "Flag Peg People" on Labelled Map
Amongst the activities you would not have found in a continent box is one involving flags. Adrian has been "obsessed" with flags for the last two months or so. With this in mind, I set to prepare more flag activities than less to feed this curiosity. Yes we'll have the "regular" pin-the-flag-on-the-country map activities this year but I also wanted to add some fun. In comes the peg people covered with their national flag! I won't lie, these will only be used as a "revision" activity once Adrian is already familiar with the flags and countries... Also, there will be peg people for all the continent but at this point, I've only painted the European dolls you see...

Flag Peg People Map Montessori
Nine European dolls are currently part of our collection
I initially ordered a bag of 25 wooden and unpainted peg dolls (USD$8.25 not including shipping from a seller on Etsy). I won't lie. Painting all of these dolls is time consuming but it is relaxing as well as I like crafting. I will also say that the children were very excited to see these the next morning so it was rewarding in a way. I had to keep telling them it would be for school and that we wouldn't just play with them on a daily basis. Adrian loved that they had flags on them and already could tell a few by memory. I did not venture to tell him how they would be used but as you can see, they'll have to be matched with their countries! :)

Bottom Peg people
Control of error: Bottom of peg doll has country symbol
As I plan on using these for a few years (get my money out of the investment), I took the time to write under each doll the abbreviation for each country with a pencil. Eventually, I think Adrian will learn these and that it will be a great way for control of error, especially when all continents are put together, but for now, all dolls will be kept in their separate "continent bag" and that we may have to rely on our book of flags for control of error. 

Flag Peg People Close Up
Close-up of the wooden dolls; happy European citizens!
All these peg people were initially unpainted. To give them their national colors, I used acrylic paints (one coat worked well) and lacquered all the dolls with two coats of clear shiny sealant once they were dry to prevent the paints from future damage.  So far, the only complaint I have received from the initial dolls being seen is that the "Danish" doll was "missing". I was expecting that actually and it is my mistake. I originally had intended on making one as my son was born in Denmark and identifies with the country but as I had already painted a Swiss doll, I felt the Danneborg might be too similar and decided to go with the Swedish flag instead. Hmm. We'll see if I'm forgiven in a few weeks when I present these during Europe Week! :)

P.S. Don't have time to make your own flag peg dolls? Check out LaLutine's store on Etsy! She sells very similar flag peg dolls that are also eco-friendly. I love crafting so I decided to make my own version of my dolls but that is where I found the original idea for them! :)



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52 comments:

  1. Hi Valerie!

    Found you by way of Serenity You! I think you have a lot to share so I'm mentioning you on my Blog Stalking Sundays series. I'll be sharing your button for the entire week as well.
    Happy Monday!

    Wendy @ effiegirl.blogspot.com

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    1. A Blog Stalking Series? What a genius idea! :) Thank you for sharing my little world with your readers Wendy. It's always flattering to hear other people like you're doing! Have a great day! :)

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  2. What a creative post. Your post really got me thinking man..... an intelligent piece ,I will be your frequent visitor, that's for sure.

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    1. Thank you. I should be writing more posts soon. This summer, we did not do a lot of activities so I did not blog a lot but soon, everything will be back to normal with probably 2-3 posts / week. :)

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  3. These are adorable! Very creative and happily will add this link to my 9 Creative Ways to Explore the World post!!

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    1. Thank you Kristina! The kids love them and if I had more time, I'm sure I'd make one for each country but for now, I'll have to be a bit more selective I'm afraid! :)

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  4. These are truly awesome! I love this idea as an extension of Montessori Geography!

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    1. Thank you Rachel! That's the idea. My son loves learning about the flags of the world so I thought he'd like this set of peg dolls to revise after we're done with the regular flag map! :) Needless to say, we have way less people than flags but still...it's a revision exercise! :)

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  5. Great post, great ideas, and such cute little people! I can't wait to make my own! I love when I feel inspired to do the work myself. I also noticed your amazing map. Any links or clues for that?

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    1. I'm glad you're feeling inspired Ashly! That is what this blog is about! :) I actually got the map when I purchased the wooden Montessori puzzle map but you may be able to purchase a labelled Montessori Europe map without purchasing a puzzle map. I'd check Ebay and other Montessori stores for that... Good luck!

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  6. Hi there!

    I am truly flattered that you found inspiration in my flag-pegs! Thank you so much for linking to my Etsy shop and giving me a credit for the idea! Much appreciated! Hope your little one will have lot of fun with them while learning in the same time (and that is the idea!)

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    1. Sandra, I LOVE your flag peg people! It is such an original and creative idea! Being that I love crafting, I decided to make my own set of flag peg dolls but I would never have claimed that I had come up with the idea in the first place! :) I hope my post will bring a lot of visibility to your flag peg people idea and may it generate sales for you as well! :)

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    2. Hi again :) Unfortunately, seems that your post inspired some people to start making them for a sale. When I found out about it, their response was that my pegs are "not so original" and they linked me to this post :( But - thank you for your good intentions....

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    3. How very strange that people would assume I'm the original creator of these flag peg people...It is clearly stated that you are. I even found you through pins from other bloggers who liked your dolls. I never ever thought people would start making their own dolls for sale either. I truly thought this was a genius idea and decided to make my own set and blogged about it and thought it would, if anything, get YOU extra sales in this busy, busy world. I'm sorry if it had the opposite effect...

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  7. These are so cute! Thank you for inspiring me.
    Sarah
    stayathometerritory.blogspot.com

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    1. Glad you like them! Painting these frees my mind; very relaxing but it is a bit time consuming! LOL

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  8. These are wonderful. What a wonderful idea. I have noticed that a lot of boys are intrigued by flags (my husband still is). The peg dolls would pull girls in. I can see lots of poring over atlases.

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    1. Flags are fascinating but many schools and homeschools may not be able to afford "Real" flags made with fabric. I know that for us to buy flags with stand would be restrained to only a couple but painting these little peg dolls was totally doable budget-wise. Plus, they're fun. Bonus point if it pulls the girls in! :) I loved flags as a young girl but maybe I wasn't an average gal! :)

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  9. I like these very much. On my ever growing to do list! Thanks! ;)

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    1. You're welcome! And don't forget...although I do not sell these peg dolls, the Etsy store mentioned in my blog post sells similar ones so if you run out of time...you know where to go! LOL

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  10. What a lovely idea to make learning flags into a fun and interactive game! And honestly, I think the peg people are just adorable - so a toy I won't mind having left out :) Found you through Mom's Library!

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    1. Thank you Andrea! It is a great learning toy. When my children saw them drying one morning, they were very excited and I had to tell them they weren't ready. I'm sure, just like you, they'll be out well after "school" is out! :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. What a great idea! We learned some flags this summer and my daughter was looking over my shoulder and recognize England's and Germany's flags on the dolls :) I think she would enjoy this! Thank you for sharing!

    I found your post at Mom's Library.

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    1. Hi Missy! Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to comment. These flag people are a big hit at our house so if your daughter enjoys learning about flags, I bet these would be something she'd love as well. I just started painting a few more to represent another continent and my son is so curious to find out what flag these will be wearing! :)

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  12. These are sooo cute. I wonder if I could make some peg people in a One Direction theme for my niece's Christmas present. :)
    http://thesassysouthernpeach.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you! You know, I've seen lots of different peg people. They can be painted in so many ways, so why not? :) Somebody might actually already have come up with a set! LOL

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  13. What adorable peg people! I love the idea. I would love for you to link up with Creative Kids Cultural Blog Hop http://toddlefast.blogspot.com/2013/09/creative-kids-cultural-blog-hop-8.html

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    1. Thank you for stopping by for the invitation. I'll hop on by in a bit an check it out! :)

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  14. Fabulous! Pinned!

    FYI~ You will get more comments if you turn word verification OFF. You said above that approve comments, so why make visitors try to decipher those silly little letters & numbers if you go through and approve comments.

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    1. Thank you Diana! :) About the character having to be typed prior to sending in comments I'm afraid I don't have control over that (at least, that I remember of...). It's a Blogger feature I can't turn off. I can turn off the moderation of comments though but I chose not to. I get spam comments at least 2-3 times a week. I can only imagine it'd be a lot worse without the characters typing! LOL Thanks for the heads-up though!

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  15. Love this idea so so much!!!! Will be featuring this on tomorrows Serenity Saturday link party

    Natasha @ Serenityyou

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    1. Thank you Natasha! Much appreciated. I'm glad everyone likes the peg people. My son had a blast with them last week!

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  16. Oh my, they are so cute. We are Americans living in Germany too. I would love it if you linked up with my Friday blog hop - Entertaining and Educational. http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/10/historical-apple-press-entertaining-and.html

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    1. Thank you! I"ll hop on by and check it out! Nice to meet other North Americans in Germany (I'm Canadian but did live in the US for a while...)

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  17. Thank you for sharing this! They are so cute; you did a great job! I love the idea of the flag people to match with flags and continents!

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Glad you like the idea and flag peg people. My son loves these and had a great time with them when I put them out with the map last week. He's anxious to see more... :)

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  18. These are genius and SO very adorable!! LOVE, love, love!!

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad you like them and featured them last week. I really wish I could make one for each country! :)

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  19. I found your idea on FB through Homeschool Creations and love it! This will help us learn the missionaries our church supports and their country and flag. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. I'm glad you found a good use for the idea. I love making learning fun! :)

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  20. LOVE this idea!! Thanks for linking it up to TGIF! i will be sharing it with my readers this weekend! Seriously, such a fun idea!

    Thanks for linking up!
    Beth =)

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    1. Thank you Beth! I'm glad you like the idea and are spreading the word about it! :) They are so simple to make and truly educational. My son loves them.

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  21. I totally love this idea! We are currently learning about the countries of the world through Little Passports. (Each month, they mail you an activity for a different country). It would be fun to make a flag doll for each country "we visit". Thanks for the great idea!

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    1. I have heard of Little Passports so much lately but have yet to look at it more closely. From what I hear, it sounds like lovely geography materials though. And yes, hands-on little peg dolls would delight the kids very much I'm sure! :)

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  22. I love this idea!! What an awesome way for a visual learner to remember the flags!! My kids would love these -thanks!!

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    1. Glad you like it! They are very popular in this house and although my daughter is still very young, I think she will like them and benefit from them too. :)

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  23. Great idea! These are adorable, and I bet the kids loved it! Thanks for sharing at the Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop!

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    1. Glad your linky exists. So many great posts linked up and they all have something multicultural to offer. GHappy to see the peg people are so popular with so many people. My son adores them and has asked for 1 from each country. I wish they weren't so time consuming to make now! LOL

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  24. Love how you have painted the peg people and used them so effectively in your theme. Been visiting and reading your posts - great stuff! Take care, Georgia

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    1. Thank you Georgia for leaving such a kind comment. I am glad to see you enjoy the posts!

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  25. I love these people they are so cute! I am a Montessori teacher turned stay at home mom and I'm always looking for new ideas!

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