It’s September, and I’m all Fall, all the time.  This has nothing to do with weather.  It’s just tradition.  Every year when my birthday rolls around, I pull out the leafy decorations and stock up on Pumpkin Spice creamer and tea of every variety.  (I don’t even care that PUMPKIN EVERYTHING is just a trend.  I’m hipster enough to say that I made pumpkin bread before it was cool.)

This year when we opened up the tubs of fall decorations (yes, that is tubs, plural), I was so happy to find my little fall felt board!  Oh yes, let the fun begin.

Isn’t it adorable?  (And these are only a few of the felt pieces!)  I bought this little guy at Michaels last fall for somewhere around $2.  I distinctly remember my kids spending a good deal of Thanksgiving Break telling each other stories with it.  I can’t wait to hear some more.

Check it out, that cute little pumpkin house that couldn’t get any cuter?  It can also be a pie shop!

These five friends can have so, so many adventures.

Felt boards are the best.  We have a much larger one with tons of random felt pieces (everything from farmers to ballerinas) that I’ve picked up at Goodwill and garage sales.  Seriously, you can buy those big new sets, of course.  (This is a cute retro one.)  But if you keep your eyes open, you can also find the pieces all over the place.  And any old piece of felt will do as a background in a pinch.  It doesn’t take anything fancy because there’s just something about all those moveable pieces that makes the imagination flow.  Each piece can be used in so many different ways.

Take this blue squiggly thing, for example.  Yes, I think it is meant to be a river, where our pie-loving friends can go for a refreshing drink.

But there is no reason why it can’t also sometimes be a terrifying tornado, ready to suck up anyone who doesn’t cling tightly to the fence!

With so many pieces to choose from, who knows what could happen?

So look around this fall.  You  never know what storytelling opportunities might be waiting in that dollar bin.  And if you find any cute ones, let the rest of us know.  You can never have too many story boards.

Or too many fall decorations.