Puppets encourage reading comprehension with your child by extending the story out of the page. After you read a story, let the child retell the tale in his or her own words. Ask questions along the way to keep the narrative flowing, but get puppets in the act and their imagination soars. They, most likely, will go off on a tangent and start telling their very own updated version. Involve them from the beginning by making their own finger puppets. Here's how.
What you need:
-Basic felt (different shades for skin and hair tones; other colors for costume)
-Glue
-Scissors
-Pencil
-Yarn (different shades for hair)
-Colored pens
-Small moveable eyes or buttons
How to:
Cut 3" x 4" rectangles out of felt for the character body. With a pencil, trace and cut a silhouette on the rectangle for your different characters. Make 2 identical pieces. Put one on top of the other and apply glue along edges except the bottom. Press firmly together. Plan which side is front and which one is the back. Set aside.
Cut a 3-1/2" x 6" rectangle for clothing (color of your choice), and fold over crosswise. Lay on top of silhouette and plan where to cut neck hole. Trace along body the shape of clothing making sure you have enough room to glue edges together. Trim while folded over. Slip over character silhouette and glue sides together. Trace and cut shape of hair or trim desired length and color of yarn. (If using yarn, be sure to apply glue and work in small sections.)
Decorate your character's clothing. Dot colored pen for eyes or gluing moveable eyes or buttons. For female puppets, dust a very small amount of blush on the cheeks with a soft brush. Make the main character or make the whole cast. Prop up the puppets on sticks for easier handling during a puppet show. After all, we only have ten fingers.
For inspiration, catch a show at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. They play well-loved fairy tales like "Jack and the Beanstalk" (March 7th through the 18th) and contemporary, noteworthy stories like "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by A. Wolf" (February 29th through March 4th). Don't feel left out, moms and dads, there are shows for grown-ups too like "Puppet Slam" (March 2nd and 3rd.)
Visit the Great Arizona Puppet Theater on the web for upcoming shows, ticket prices, even previews at www.azpuppets.org. Stop by the box office at 302 West Latham St., Phoenix, AZ 85003 Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm or call (602) 262-2050 or email info@azpuppets.org.
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