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Author: Jamie
Live Puppet Chats
“They loved it, I can’t get them to talk that much on FaceTime with family!!! It was awesome.” – Jenna in Winchester, VA (mother of 4, ages 5-11)
Since 1985 MicheLee Puppets has been connecting puppets to the heart of children. We know how much a one-on-one interaction with a puppet can help children express themselves. In this time of social distancing, we are excited to offer Live Puppet Chats.
These virtual sessions allow your child/children to interact in real time with a puppet character. Sing, dance, read a story, or just simply chat. Each session is child-guided and completely unique! There is no charge for this as we continue our mission digitally empowering lives through the art of puppetry.
From Home: Activities, Virtual Tours, and Resources that Entertain and Educate
With so much online content to choose from, it’s hard to keep track of it all, so we’ve selected some of our favorite family-friendly resources to help you make the most of your time at home.
Scroll down for Virtual tours, lesson plans, interactive videos and more sorted by category.
Read more From Home: Activities, Virtual Tours, and Resources that Entertain and Educate
DIY: From Gift Box to Puppet Stage (Plus Scenery and Puppets!)
Re-purpose your used gift boxes to make your own show with just scissors and tape! Use construction paper, magazines, old cards, and mailers to add scenery and puppets, then put on a show! When you’re done, everything fits inside your box stage for easy storage.
DIY: Make a Colorful Shadow Puppet
Follow along to this video with the written instructions below.
SUPPLIES:
- MLP Shadow Puppet Big and Small pattern
- White Paper
- Plastic Sleeve
- Scissors
- Skewers
- Permanent Marker
- Paper Fasteners
- Hole Punch
- Masking Tape
- Double-sided Tape
- Clear Tape
DIY: Make a Glove Hand Puppet
Make a custom glove puppet with just a few simple materials. Follow along to our DIY video with the written instructions below.
SUPPLIES:
- Glove Puppet Printable Template printed on cardstock (choose the color based on the character you would like to design)
- Scissors
- Stapler
- 1 Glove
- Crayons/Markers
- Masking tape
- ***Click the links below for more face options
DIY: Make a Fish Rod Puppet
Follow along to this video with the written instructions below.
SUPPLIES:
- Fish and Lacing Patterns (click here)
- Foamcore 8.5 x 11 piece
- Foam Paint Brush
- Scissors
- Xacto knife/blade
- Pencil
- Marker
- White Glue and Water
- Masking Tape
- Tissue and foil paper
- 2 Skewers
- Hole Punch
- 30″ Ribbon or Fabric Strip
Keep on reading!
DIY: Egg to Caterpillar Rod Puppet
A few simple steps bring this rod puppet to life! Go from Egg to Larva (even Pupa) with this fun, fuzzy puppet-making activity. The perfect, hands-on way to teach the life cycle of a butterfly!
Want to complete the cycle? Make a colorful “Stained Glass” Shadow Puppet Butterfly here: https://youtu.be/EuLumvoQVWg
DIY: Make a “Stained Glass” Butterfly Shadow Puppet
Enjoy this fun and simple way to teach symmetry.
Design your own butterfly shadow/rod puppet then grab a flashlight and have some fun!
Click HERE to subscribe to our Youtube channel for the latest puppet fun!
Keep on reading!
Re-use Plastic Eggs to Make Hand Puppets
Don’t fill the landfill, get creative! Re-use plastic eggs to make unique hand puppet characters. Let your imagination run wild with just a few simple steps. You can:
- Make a family of characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf and Granny to perform your own fractured fairy tale
- Make an original character and write a story of your own. Give your character a name, a fun voice, and decide what makes your character happy, sad, scared, confused and angry. Develop stories from these characteristics: Example: My character’s name is Eggly. She loves to chase spiders. She is sad when she can’t find spiders. She is confused when spiders run away from her. She is angry when people mistreat spiders.
Follow along to our “DIY Puppets from Plastic Eggs” Video with these written instructions below:
Supplies:
- 1 plastic egg that divides horizontally
- Felt (slightly bigger than the egg)
- Scissors
- Drill or Xacto knife
- Marker (for tracing onto felt)
- Glue (craft glue, fabric glue or hot glue)
- Water in a small dish (if using hot glue)
- 1 pipe cleaner
- Decorative materials (google eyes, fur, craft foam, pom poms, yarn, permanent markers)
Instructions:
- Separate plastic egg into 2 pieces
- If your egg pieces don’t already have holes on the rounded edge, drill or use an Xacto knife to create 2 holes approx ¼ inch apart on the rounded edge of each piece.
- Cut your pipe cleaner in half with scissors or wire cutters
- Create a handle for you middle finger on the longer egg piece by threading the pipe cleaner through the holes, sliding it over your middle finger. Then twist the pipe cleaner inside of the piece top secure the handle, then flatten the remaining pipe cleaner ends.
- Repeat using the shorter egg piece and thumb.
- Place the eggs next to each other on the felt, flat side down. They should be touching.
- Trace around the edges of both eggs with a marker onto the felt. The image should look like an “8” without the center line when completed.
- Cut out the felt tracing
- Glue the rounded part of the felt onto the inside of one of the egg pieces, hiding the pipe cleaner. Repeat with the other egg piece. This will connect the two pieces and create a hinge for the mouth to move.
- Decorate! Create hair with yarn or fur, add eyes and teeth. You can even draw on the eggs with a permanent marker.
- Perform! Put your middle finger on top and your thumb on the bottom and put on a show!
