Bringing Worlds to Life
The magic of make believe continues every Monday in our Big Kids Scripts and Stages class, as we delve into new ways of bringing imagination to life.
While we began this season by dressing up in costume and embodying the characters ourselves,we are now exploring characters and storytelling through puppets!
Puppets are a great way to help kids practice drama and characterization, because they are their own separate entities! A puppet can talk on its own, move on its own, and even have its very own thoughts and feelings. You can have a conversation with a puppet and make a friend out of a puppet (see puppet selfie for proof!).
Kids are often fascinated with puppets and how they can appear so animated and alive. Even a hand can be a puppet if you are convincing enough in your delivery.
In our last couple of Monday classes we have continued to read this season’s story of focus, ‘The Very Cranky Bear’, animating the characters with our own home-made puppets. Last week we even brought the puppets on a bit of an adventure to the Mt. Pleasant Public Library, where our puppets took to the stage.
Parents, if you didn’t respond to my last call to action to re-create your own drama class at home, why not try your hand at puppetry instead (no pun intended…)!
Again, all you have to do is pick a story and act it out with as much drama and excitement as you can muster. Then grab a couple of paper bags, construction paper and some googly eyes or buttons, et voilà!
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Step 1: Dramatic Reading
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Step 2: Voilà! Paper Bag Puppets!
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You can make just a couple of characters, or, if you’re feeling ambitious, make the whole cast! A perfect adventure for a rainy day.
Plus your kids can learn to view the world differently, through the eyes of a puppet, by imagining what their new puppet friend might be thinking and feeling. Engaging in this way can foster empathy, along with a whole lot of imagination.
Happy creating and bringing worlds to life through the eyes of a puppet!
Have any puppet selfies from your adventures? Don’t hesitate to send them along to johanna@buddings.ca!
