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Arts & Entertainment

More Fun with Puppets

Making simple marionettes with items from around the house

Continuing with our puppetry theme begun in the last column, we will focus on making simple marionettes with supplies found around the house.  These are sometimes called scarf or rag puppets because the body is made from a square of fabric.  In keeping with our recycling theme, think about using a piece of an old sheet, t-shirt or other fabric found around the house.  

Other supplies you will need include sticks, string, small rocks (driveway gravel works just fine) and maybe some twist ties.  Cotton stuffing or crumpled newspaper will be used to make the head shape.  Embellishments can include yarn, ribbons, buttons, and other decorative materials or markers to draw on the fabric.

Begin by placing a ball of cotton or crumpled paper under your cloth in the middle of one edge.  You will use string, a twist tie or rubber band to seal this into the cloth, forming the head.  Next select small rocks to form the hands and feet.  Tie these into the corners of the cloth using a similar method.  

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For younger children this is where the twist ties may be helpful - they may be easier to secure than string or rubber bands.  An adult can help to tie 3 strings to a stick and connect these to the two hands and the head.  Add some ties around the cloth to further shape arms and legs and you are ready to go.  For older children you may want to add a second stick with strings attached to the feet for greater control of limbs and movement.  For younger kids fewer strings is simpler and less likely to get tangled.  

A fun variation will make a four legged animal instead of a person.  Begin in the same way with a head toward one edge of the fabric.  At the opposite edge gather the material and tie it together to form a tail.  Continue as before and place rocks in the corners to make the four feet.  This puppet can be done simply with just a string at the head and tail or can be more complex with crossed sticks and strings onto each foot - again think about the age and experience of your puppeteer - simpler is always better to start.  

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Animals can be identified with coloring, unique ears and patterns of body covering.  An animal and person make a great pair to begin your story telling.  
Once you have the basic shapes you can embellish with decorations and/or draw a face and patterns with markers.

Now you are ready to animate your creations - what stories do they have to tell?  The nice thing about marionettes is that they can perform alongside the puppeteer, inviting the child to enter into the performance.


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