Beginners question..

[Nickys mommy]

Hi all!!
I am a first grade teacher, and have somehow gotten myself talked into teaching a summer school class to 2nd to 4th graders on puppetry. I know a lot about art, photography, and design, but not much about puppetry and not much about how to teach it to children. In the month-long class, I need to teach them about different kinds of puppets and how to make them, and by the end of the class, we have to put on a show for the parents. Do you have any suggestions on how I should start and what kinds of puppets I can make with the kids?? We have a small budget, although I wish it were a little larger as I'm finding puppetry can be a little expensive, so if you have ideas to keep the cost low, that would be great too!!!
Any advice you may have would be so greatly appreciated!!!
I know, who better to ask, than the experts!!!
Thanks so much!!!
Wendy

 

[apendola]

Hello,

I've found that the sock puppet pattern at www.projectpuppet.com is a cost effective way to make a nice looking puppet in a small amount of time. I'm not sure wether sewing would be right for them or not however.

Hope that helps

 

[JoeyMuppet]

Hello,

I've found that the sock puppet pattern at www.projectpuppet.com is a cost effective way to make a nice looking puppet in a small amount of time. I'm not sure wether sewing would be right for them or not however.

Hope that helps

Yeah,I'd have to agree with you on that.I also think that sock puppet pattern would be the easiest & less expensive ways to do puppets for that age group.

 

[Nickys mommy]

Thanks, I just ordered the sock puppet pattern!! I will probably have to do all the sewing for them, but possibly they can do all their own cutting and they can dress their puppet however they like.
I also ordered some scripts for the end of class show, and I did research on history of puppetry for the class.
What other kinds of puppets should I show them in the class?? Finger puppets, etc...?? Also, is there a good pattern or idea to show them how to make a basic marionette?? I ordered one for the class so I could show them how it works and let them practice making it talk and do what they want, but the place I ordered it was out of stock on them. How can I make a simple one?? Thanks so much!!!

 

[rurulesunc]

Back when I used to teach elementary school I did a unit on puppetry. The school was in a bad neighborhood so I couldnt ask for much help financially so I did ask each child to bring in a pair of socks. The ones who did bring some in made up for the children who couldnt. Then we took pieces of construction paper and the children cut them into whatever shapes they wanted to use for eyes, nose, mouth etc. We used regular Elmer's Glue to paste them on. It was a little crude but the kids loved it. They all said that was their favorite project that we did all year. I also had some examples of different puppets before we started so they knew what we were going for. Hope this helps.

 

[apendola]

Honestly if the sock puppet pattern doesn't work out for the classroom, it's way fun to do on your own time.

Marrionnettes are tricky, perhaps you could try and make those big bird looking things that are often sold at trinket stores in florida.

You could always do shadow puppetry. International things are all the rage lately.

 

[dsarver]

If you haven't already, check out Puppet and Stuff forums for teaching information and resources.

 

[sleepylagoon]

also good books for teaching kids are

Puppet Mania and Puppet Planet

The Usborne Book of Puppets

101 Hand Puppets : A Beginner's Guide to Puppeteering

and more which are all available at Amazon.com provide easy to make puppet and additional info too

 

[Nickys mommy]

Thank you so much!!!
I knew you were the perfect group to ask!!!

 

[JoeyMuppet]

You could also try the book... Muppets make Puppets.You can find it at http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1563057085/ref=dp_olp_2/102-6489630-7123322?ie=UTF8 .A new copy is only $6.Hope this helps too.It has different kinds of puppets.