| Puppets really engage and delight children. | | | | |
| Watching them is in itself a form of art | | | | The figures do not necessarily need hands, |
| therapy for the audience. In some parts of | | | | feet or a body. If you attach weights for |
| the world performances contain a moral | | | | example button, beads to a piece of cloth it |
| message and are watched with deep reverence. | | | | creates the impression of a body. Take the |
| A wonderful illustration of this is | | | | stuffing out of a toy, add a rod and hey |
| Indonesia.There puppets continue to be used | | | | presto it becomes a puppet! |
| to re-enact scenes from sacred Hindu | | | | |
| scriptures. Prayers always proceed the start | | | | Much fun can be had through the imaginative |
| of the performance. | | | | use of decorative materials such as ribbons, |
| | | | cloth, sequins and other sparkling bits and |
| The Wayang Musuem in Jakarta, Indonesia | | | | pieces. Shadow puppets can be created just by |
| perhaps surprisingly has a complete set of | | | | using your two hands in front of a plain |
| British Punch and Judy puppets. They were | | | | wall. They can also easily be made by cutting |
| apparently donated to the museum by a British | | | | shapes out of plastic, acetate or cellophane |
| Ambassador who used to personally give | | | | and decorating them with such things as sweet |
| performances to invited guests in the | | | | wrappers, sequins etc. Drawings can easily |
| embassy. | | | | and cheaply be photo-copied onto acetate. |
| | | | Attach these cut out shapes to rods. Keep |
| The Cadiz area in Andalucia, Spain also still | | | | everything bold and simple. |
| has a lively marionette tradition. In Munich, | | | | |
| Germany puppets perform classical opera. | | | | When animating a puppet concentrated focus is |
| | | | called for. When operating a glove puppet the |
| Puppets are always moved by human and not | | | | first finger goes into the puppet's head, the |
| mechanical means.These movable figures come | | | | second and third fingers are held down as |
| in many shapes and sizes. There are | | | | arms. You need to work with your arms |
| marionettes, glove, rod, finger and shadow | | | | stretched out. Make the figure come alive by |
| puppets to mention a few. They are all | | | | moving your shoulders and elbows not by |
| operated differently. | | | | turning your wrists. |
| | | | |
| If you have not already done so how about | | | | Operating marionettes requires long practise |
| exploring using puppets at home with the | | | | and great skill and may be beyond most of us. |
| kids. The aim of my suggestion is not first | | | | |
| and foremost educational but therapeutic. The | | | | Thinking up your own stories, perhaps |
| aim is to work at achieving greater harmony | | | | incorporating the child's own ideas or using |
| between Mind-Body-and-Spirit. Of course, the | | | | favourite stories or happenings in their own |
| activity does also have an educational | | | | life is a great way to create a play for the |
| aspect. | | | | puppet performance. Fairy stories work well. |
| | | | The underlying mood of the story can be |
| Children are often fascinated by puppets and | | | | dramatic, comic or sad and must be very |
| interact strongly with them which can lead to | | | | visual and tactile. The play could even be |
| an overcoming of shyness and fear and greater | | | | based around a song. You do not always need a |
| use of speech. The interaction also | | | | story. Your child may happily ad-lib and you |
| encourages concentration and use of the | | | | can make up the text as you go along. |
| imagination. Psychologists use puppets to | | | | |
| help traumatized and abused children to | | | | Music and sound will add atmosphere to the |
| express their feelings. | | | | presentation. You can make sound with all |
| | | | kinds of objects. Saucepans, spoons, cups, |
| Parents, I hope, will try to use this | | | | dried seeds can all be used and are easy to |
| activity to reach deeper, unspoken levels in | | | | find. Effective shakers can be made by |
| their relationships with their offspring. | | | | filling plastic bottles with seeds, ridged |
| Sessions can become a form of deeply loving | | | | surfaces on plastic bottles can produce |
| and healing communication,. Parents need to | | | | scraped sounds. Large tins function as drums. |
| let their child play a dominant role if they | | | | The human voice is capable of humming, |
| want to. Both have to deepen their | | | | whistling, chanting as well as singing actual |
| understanding of leading and following, | | | | words. |
| giving and taking. | | | | |
| | | | Random clapping produces a very effective |
| The making and operating of puppets can be a | | | | rain storm. First using one finger, then two, |
| form of serious, carefully thought-out or | | | | then three, then finally the whole hand. |
| joyfully spontaneous activity. Spontaneity | | | | Remember that sound can become louder, |
| can be very important as it avoids the | | | | quieter, slower, faster all adding a |
| planned lesson-like feeling that is often | | | | different atmosphere. |
| associated with school. | | | | |
| | | | A theatre or stage is not strictly speaking |
| It is possible to buy beautiful puppets in | | | | necessary. There are many ways of creating a |
| every form imaginable. If your child really | | | | theatre. For glove puppets working above a |
| enjoys this activity it might be worth buying | | | | sheet suspended between two chairs is |
| a few of the sort that you cannot make | | | | probably the simplest. |
| yourself. A lot of fun can be had just using | | | | |
| things that are to hand. Paper bags, paper | | | | An overhead projector allows the shadow |
| cups and plates, plastic bottles, a sock, a | | | | puppets to appear larger than they actually |
| pillow case with a ball tied into one end as | | | | are. Anything written on an overhead |
| a head, ice lolly sticks with small pictures | | | | projector presents writing in readable form |
| portraying whatever you like attached at one | | | | and does away with the need to write |
| end, a block of foam, a scrubbing brush, a | | | | backwards. A white sheet lit from behind |
| scarf with threads tied to the corners to | | | | forms a screen for shadow puppets. |
| produce an ethereal, ghost-like figure can | | | | |
| all be put to practical use. Even attaching a | | | | Explore and Experiment with Puppets with Your |
| piece of cloth to a can makes an effective | | | | Child. It Will be an Adventure for Both of |
| puppet. Transform a computer mouse into a | | | | You. |
| snake. | | | | |