Puppet Show!

Today, we decided to build with our PVC Pipe building set yet again. This time, we opted to build a puppet theater.

After a few tweaks, and trial runs, this is what we ended up with:

Each of the children had an opportunity to choose from our wide array of puppets and take turns making puppet shows.

One of the first things most children do when they have an opportunity to create a puppet show is to have their puppets fight. Although we do not ban those types of shows, we try to encourage children to create and tell stories with some more substance.

I often ask the children to choose their favorite one or two puppets and to sit with them for awhile. We practice making observations about the puppets and asking/answering questions:

"Oh, that one looks really fuzzy, I bet she is cuddly." or "Wow, that one has sharp teeth.... " etc.
"Do you think that is a boy or a girl? I wonder what his/her name is?"
"What do you think he/she does all day?"
"If you were that puppet, what would you say? What would you do?" etc

I've found that the children tend to be much more creative in their puppet play and stories if we take that little bit of time to think about the puppets we are going to use.

It doesn't eliminate the fighting of all puppets, as some of our little friends still end up being devoured. However, it does prompt the children to be a little bit more creative as they create their dialogues.

(Even Mr. Allan decided to jump in on the action today!)

We have a huge selection of puppets for the children to choose from.
Some of our favorites include:

These fabulous finger puppets, homemade by Lori at our local 4C's office. She has an arts/crafts business called Lori's Creative Delights and sells these cool little puppets for $1 each!!! She almost always has a table at the annual Upper Peninsula Early Childhood Conference.

We also sell Folkmanis puppets. (The majority of the ones we have in stock are finger puppets, but we can special order the full line).

I love how plush the Folkmanis puppets are. They are very detailed and are a made very well.

If you are interested in ordering puppets from our next sale, please contact Ms Amy amyahola@hotmail.com

We have also made a number of different puppets. A few of the puppets we have made and posted about are:

Marker Cap Puppets

Glove Finger Puppets

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