I got my first puppet at an art fair in West Covina, CA. Even though my students were 4 to 7 years old, I was embarrassed to have him talk. He was a silent guy. If somebody stoled some eraser, instead of correcting the child. I had Clyde steal my eraser. Then we would talk about why he did it, and what kind of reprimand he should get.
Pretty soon Clyde became a class member and the kids were helping him learn how to behave.
AT the same time I bought my first puppet, I bought a guitar and was teaching myself to play. When I started writing songs, my puppets began to sing. And I started adding puppets to Clyde. The first one was Popcorn Bear, a puppet with working hands. He would give a few pieces of popcorn in reading, when students paid attention.
Popcorn Bear was popular in my preschool and early elementary classes.
By this time, I had finished The Grass is Green, a farm animal musical, inside my classroom. I decided to turn it into a puppet show, where the children would be the puppeteers. I bought farm animal puppets, primarily the Folk Manis Puppets.
If I couldn’t buy the puppet, I would make it, like the ducks, the chicken, the rooster, and the rat. I was now starting my working puppet collection. I used the puppets, and we would describe the puppet, and learn to tell its story.
The puppets became members of the class, and I became more comfortable in giving the puppets their voices.
The songs and the puppets became entwined. They worked not only in preschool and young elementary, but they were working their way into the hearts of the older elementary and middle school.
Never Underestimate a sack, THINK LIKE A WRITER WORKSHOP
As a mother, I was familiar with sack puppets. My daughter would bring them home. Show their work and throw the puppets away. That is because the puppet had not become real to them. I made puppets, and some of them lasted fifteen years. The trick is to give them arms and legs made out of material. I never taught my classes or my workshops how to make one kind of puppet. This was part of the development of imagination and creating a connection with the creator.
One year, the PTA officers asked me to give a workshop at their PTA meeting. I used staples, rather than glue, various sheets of colored paper, and of course a sack.
- The family was to plan and create a sack puppet.
- Create a story or a dialogue.
- Create a story or a dialogue
- Share their puppet, dialogue, or story with another family.
Next, I began to use marionettes, stringed puppets, with older students. What I found out is that it actually increases brain stimulation.
- The student most move their body in a way to move the marionette’s body
- The student must remember dialogue an connected it with the movement of their body and the movement of the marionette’s body.
- The student must memorize both the movement and the dialogue, and the voice selection.
- The student must move across the stage area.
- The student must be aware of the audience’s response.
- Also, their teachers’ response.
Home-made Puppets and Found Puppets.
One of my most popular puppets was a stiff skeleton nearly three feet tall. I cut the arms, legs, neck, and head, and connected them with strings. I bought him after Halloween, so I think it cost me about $7. I think. I made a simple control that I use on all of my marionettes. Mr. Bones moves and dances. He also has a song. Look at the instructions for the controls, a few pictures of a boy making the controls, and photos of Mr. Bones.
You Aint Got Time For the Blues
by Penelope Torribio
You can moan, and you can groan
about the troubles that you own,
But listen up to Mister Bones,
You ain’t got time for the blues.
So you can’t pay your rent,
your made at the president,
You’d better take this little hint
I’m warning you.
break
You can moan and you can groan
about the troubles that you own,
but listen up to Mister Bones,
you ain’t got time for the blues.
They all drive like maniacs;
they’ll stab you in the back.
These are projections they ain't facts,
I’m warning you.
The way you thinks the way you’ll live your life.
You could be lurking in the darkness or dancing in the light,
I know what I’m talking about.
There’s not one single doubt,
you’d better sing, you’d better shout,
you ain’t got time for the blues.
Yeah!
So let’s rock and let us roll, or dance real slow,
Tell everyone we know, we ain’t got time for the blues.
Connecting Puppet to Think Like a Writer is:
fun, develops imagination, and works on communication
and is perfect for the Connected Classroom
Believe me when I promise you, puppets are loved by teens, children, and adults.
As you can see, this is huge subject. I would love to talk to you about the significance of teaching ventriloquism for better learning and better living. It is a wonderful tool, not only for working on dialogue and communication, but it is magical for students who are behind in reading and are not responding to traditional tools.
I am going to end this with a song written entirely by a group of students in a lock-up boys’ home. I have a cute video of me using a girl ventriloquist figure, attempting to teach the boys how girls like to be treated. Here is their song.
It is called, Snoop Snakey Snake
I’m Snoop Snakey Snake make no mistake
I’ve got the move to make the girls’ hearts break.
I can sing I can dance, one look at me and I can put’en in a trance,
Realize ‘e m, , hypnotize ‘em .
Raise up the heat, make their little heart beat.
Sorry guys you just can’t compete with me,
Cause I’m sensitive,
I can communicate,
I’m just a guy who don’t have no hate.
I listen to what the girls say,
Respect them every way,
Tell ‘em that they look fine,
Take ‘em out for a good time,
that’s why they are in line
for a date with me,
Snoopo Snakey Snake.
The boys designed and sewed their own snake puppets. Inside each snake is a chain to help it move correctly.
