5 Back-to-School Activities With a 5 Minute Puppet!
Greetings, all! So, here we are starting a new school year, still with loads of uncertainly. Hopefully, the students are masked, regardless of government policies.
Sadly, I am not in any classrooms, as resident artist, so far this year - not only because funding is shaky at best, but also because the Delta variant is roaring through my state, raising the risk for the vaccinated (with health issues like me) along with the scores of unvaccinated.
So I am sharing from my studio some quick and fun puppetry self-expression projects to engage kids right away!
This design I have used with Kindergarten through 5th grade, and they all love it! Super quick and versatile! A few ideas for using them are below.
THE PAPER WALKER PUPPET! All you need is:
sturdy paper rectangle about 3” x 4” ( recycled file folders, file cards, yardstick, etc.)
markers or crayons
medium size rubber band
masking tape
WATCH THIS 1 MINUTE VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE IT!
WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS:
These puppets can be anything, but an idea for beginning the school year: MAKE A SELFIE PUPPET AND BRING IT TO LIFE!
1. With card placed vertically, draw a character (a person? an outer space alien? an animal?), with NO LEGS and the BODY ENDING AT THE EDGE OF THE CARD.
2. Turn the card over.
3. Near the bottom edge, tape the rubber band so that it sticks out from the card like a basketball hoop. The tape will be applied running VERTICALLY!
4. Laying the BACK of the hand over the card, put all four fingers through the rubber band.
5. Make a”Peace” sign with the hand, holding the little and the ring finger up with the thumb.
6. Turn the hand over and stand on fingertips.
7. Start walking! Then try running, jumping, skipping, hopping……
What else can it do? These are a few ideas involving mainly movement.
An art therapist friend I met with recently told me one strange thing about a classroom of masked children is how quiet it is.
1. PUPPET INTRODUCTIONS
Use the puppet to tell something about yourself! Helpful for shy children to share verbally!
2. PUPPETS FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS!
Can they : Line up? Sit down? Walk to the left? To the right?
3. WHAT’S IN OUR CLASSROOM?
On a large dry erase board, collaborate to identify and draw important elements in the classroom: doors, windows, desks, tables, library, etc.
TIP: Make sure the drawing is within reach of a child standing in front of it!
Then, invite one Paper Walker to take a walk on the new map, allowing students to direct their walk. Perhaps they pause in each area to say what it is for, or any particular rules to observe there.
* Older children may work with a partner who actually walks around the room wherever the puppet walks on the map. This strengthens the social studies concept of understanding that a map is a representation of a real place.
4. PUPPET SIMON SAYS
This is a fun variation on the game that strengthens listening skills as well as ability to focus.
Students may remain seated yet show lots of different actions through the body of the puppet.
Jump as high as the sky! Do splits! March!
5. VERBS AT WORK
Flash cards of easy verbs are shown and the puppets must show the action. This may be done taking turns, or as a group.
Good for brushing up on vocabulary after the summer!
