In this 2 hour workshop, the principal aim is to stimulate the child’s imagination and enrich their play wherever they are: at home, in the playground, indoors and outdoors. We will also answer the following questions as we guide the children into making their own puppets from everyday materials:
- What is a “puppet”? It doesn’t have to replicate something real.
- How to make puppets from easily found materials – with a minimum of craft skills
- How to bring them to life. In other words, demonstrate the basic elements of puppetry
- How to use the made puppet to tell a story, nursery rhyme, etc – using the characteristics of the object to build the puppet’s personality..
- Explore the local environment as context – walls, chairs, tables, boxes, even one another!
- OVERALL: Keep it fun. Let the puppets do things that the child might not otherwise consider
During the workshop:
- Show how to make a puppet from every day household materials (tea towel, a carrot, paper, a kitchen utensil, whatever)
- Demonstrate what you need to do to animate and bring that object to life – express emotions, intentions, etc
- Demonstrate how it can move and speak
- Demonstrate how it can tell a story through its actions
- Maybe show it relating not only to the environment but also to another puppet and/or the puppeteer
As an example, have a look at our online puppet workshops 5 6 7 Create! https://blackholetheatre.com.au/project/567-create/
Children to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.