workshops

Children make either a sock puppet or a bandanna hand puppet of their own design. They give their puppet a name, a personality, and a voice, and introduce their puppet creation on the puppet stage.   

Grades K-3     1 Hr.  

Styrofoam balls, covered with stocking material, and pre-sewn bodies form a basic puppet that children then decorate to make their own unique character. Children learn basic performance techniques and use their puppets in skits they create.   

Grades 1-6   1&1/2 to 2 hrs.

A large wooden spoon becomes a simple but effective rod puppet, which is then used in an original puppet skit. Children choose to make their own character, or the workshop can be customized to produce pre-selected characters, as in The St. Nicholas Rod Puppet Workshop .

Gr.1-5         2 hrs.      

Participants put together pre-cut pieces to make this wooden spoon rod puppet, while learning about the real life inspiration for Santa Clause.

 1 & 1/2 hours                                     Ages 7 and up

Pre-painted plastic bottles become the heads, decorated with yarn, bottle caps, pipecleaners, and throwaway materials, of these comical rod puppet characters, which then star in skits about recycling and saving energy.    

Grades 2-5    2hrs.      

Children cut out pre-drawn characters from Aesop's Fables, make them into shadow puppets, and put on a show on a stage with a shadow screen. If a TV is available, I videotape the show and we all can watch it.together!  

Grades 1-3         1 - 2 hrs.    

Children assemble pre-cut pieces into a large (3 ft. tall!) goose, flamingo, or ostrich marionette that is very easy to operate. Simple sewing skills - straight stitch, making a knot - are needed .

Grades 6-8            3 hours  

This favorite puppet takes a little work, but the result is worth it! Children assemble precut pieces of fur into a personable mouth puppet with ping-pong ball eyes.  

Grades 3- 6            1&1/2 hours  

A demonstration of the major types of puppets - hand, rod, mouth, string, shadow puppets,and ventriloquism. Children learn about the history of puppetry and its uses today, then make a simple construction paper mouth puppet and practice performing techniques.

75 minutes                                                 

This workshop, designed for teachers and youth leaders, uses a "hands-on" approach to demonstrate the potential of puppetry as an educational tool, and to show how to engage children in an art form that fosters creativity, self-expression, language arts and social skills. Participants make 2 unique puppets, then practice performance techniques and learn ways to lead children in the adaptation or creation of stories for puppet theatre. A handout with instructions, ideas, and sources is included. 

3 hours                                      

Up to 20 participants will convert a stuffed animal and a beany baby into puppets, and then explore ways to use puppetry in storytelling. Participants will learn performance techniques and ways to adapt and create stories for puppet theater. A handout with instructions, ideas, and sources is included.   

3 hours                 

St. Nicholas Rod Puppet Workshop

Participants assemble an easy-to-make wooden spoon rod puppet from pre-cut pieces, while learning about the real-life inspiration for Santa Clause, then use the puppets in skits presenting scenes from the life of St. Nicholas.

Ages 7 and up                2 hours