Explore the World of Shadows with shadow puppets!

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Using puppets is a great way to set the context for any language activity you want! It’s an excellent opportunity for children to refine their speech sounds through listening. But when students use puppets the gains are manifold: children (even the reluctant ones) communicate naturally with puppets and gain confidence in expressing themselves! For some (not so) unfathomable reason, children are more willing to speak to or with a puppet than their teacher! Don’t take it to heart; seize the opportunity to get them to speak!

Moreover, when students make their own puppets their fine motor skills are enhanced.

Stencils or cookie cutters are ideal to help younger learners so that they can bring their characters to life. If the pattern is intricate let them cut the outline and help them with inner details (ideally use precision manicure scissors or a hobby knife for cutting).

Next glue or tape each of your cardstock cut-outs onto a straw, chopstick or popsicle stick. (watch this for more details of how to make a shadow puppet theatre or your figures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHw-4UOcj40 )

 

 

Now let the students explore the potentials of the medium and unleash their imagination!!!

Create your own shadow puppet theatre!

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Shadow Puppetry is said to have originated in China over two thousand years ago! It is now a popular form of entertainment in countries all over the world. Its simplicity, portability and mesmerising shadow and light performances are perfectly suited for impressionable young minds!

Shadow puppet theatre can be used in primary ELT in many ways (you can get an idea if you read this wonderful article by Tatjana Jurisic here)

Well? Are you up for it?

If yes, you need to build your theatre!

Here is how I made mine:

Any cardboard box will do the trick. If you want your students to collaborate you need to find a big one: the more students behind the scene, the more space you need! (I found a quite big, but rather shabby box—but don’t worry, in the dark no one can see, everyone is engrossed with the performing shadows).

Baking parchment or rice paper can be used to cover the opening which will be used as the screen, and a light source is necessary (be it the light from your mobile phone or any type of clear bulb). I used a led rigid strip hard light tube lamp.

The decoration is entirely up to you! I made a wavy pattern which I mirrored and some other decorations (from the paper that was left from the opening of the scene).  This is a bit difficult as it takes some skill end effort with the box cutter. Alternatively you can paint the whole box with the help of the students!

Bring the magic of shadow puppet theatre into your classroom! Let the children be spectators and watch the shadow story unravel, or let them take the roles of actors and directors to create their own world of shadow adventures!

Watch this for some help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpqmNys-jLQ

 

 

The very Hungry Caterpillar puppet

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This epic, timeless, much-loved favourite book for so many of us, illustrated and written by Eric Carle (first published in 1969) lends itself to soooo many enjoyable activities that I can’t honestly say if the students enjoy it more than teachers! In fact, there are so many that it is hard to pick just a few!

The ones I like the most, though, are the puppets which you can make and use to bring the story to life along with the students!

There are so many variations of it. Over the years in order to make the Very Hungry Caterpillar we’ve used  pom poms / paper chains / egg cartons / craft sticks (popsicle sticks) / bamboo skewers / construction paper for finger puppets

and

plasticine / self drying modelling clay / construction paper and a hole punch for the food.

This year in order to convey the undulating wave motion of a caterpillar I thought about doing it in the accordion-folded shape out of two even strips of green paper (preferably two shades of green).

This is how you do it: take the two strips and position them in a 90° angle. Glue the connecting papers together. Fold the bottom strip over the top and crease the fold along the edge. This will make the accordion fold tight! Continue this process until all the paper has been folded.

Then use red paper for the head, yellow and green for the eyes and a piece of pipe cleaner for the antennas. Finally, use a hot glue gun to add 2 chopsticks at the front and bottom of the accordion among the creases.

The caterpillars (two, one smaller and one bigger, since it will gobble up all that food!) will stretch and fold like real ones!

Now, your own Very Hungry Caterpillar is ready to give you and your students countless opportunities for fun and learning!

 

Here’s how my little students played with the caterpillar (and produced small parts of the story!!!)

 

St George’s Day

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St George’s Day in England (on 23rd April every year, the date when Saint George died) remembers St George, England’s patron saint.

St George was born around 280 AD. Even though he is the patron saint of England, he wasn’t actually born there. He was born in a place called Cappadocia (in the modern day, that is in Turkey!) He was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed by Emperor Diocletian for refusing to renounce his Christian faith in 303 AD on 23rd April.

St George isn’t just the patron Saint of England! Interestingly, St George’s Day is celebrated not just by the English, but by several countries and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint (mainly observed by Christians from the Anglican, Lutheran and Orthodox churches). These countries include Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and Croatia among others. In Greece, Saint George Day, or Agios Georgios Day, is also celebrated on April 23. However, if Easter is after April 23, then it is celebrated on Easter Monday. He is the Patron Saint of farmers (after all, Georgios, a Greek name, means “worker of the land”), soldiers (since during his life he used to work as a military officer), archers and even… scouts!  

Legend has it that George slew a dragon. The story says that he rode into a place called Silene. There he met a man who told him about a terrible dragon who was terrorising the nearby kingdom. Every day, the dragon demanded the sacrifice of a young maiden and now only the king’s daughter remained alive. St George rushed to the aid of the princess. He told the king that he would kill the dragon if he promised St George that his people would be baptised. The king agreed and St George killed the dragon after piercing it with his sword beneath its wings. He also saved the Princess!

This story, though, was actually made up (during the twelfth century, hundreds of years after his death – the dragon was another way to describe the devil!) Historians believe that St George was never a knight in shining armour… He had never slain a dragon, and he wasn’t a knight either. Regardless of whether the tale is true or not, St George is a symbol of courage in the face of adversity, as well as the English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry.

But what is his connection to England?

During the First Crusade to Jerusalem in 1098, it is said that St George appeared as a vision to lead the Christian knights during a siege. About 100 years later, King Richard III fashioned his army’s uniform on the cross of St. George.

On St George’s Day, a lot of people celebrate with a nice, traditional English meal. Some of the most traditional meals are fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, roast dinner or afternoon tea.

Shepherd’s pie

St. George’s Day is not a public holiday. It is celebrated with parades, dancing and other activities. These activities range from Morris Dancing to even watching a puppet show (Punch and Judy shows).  St. George is also the patron saint of scouting, so the scouts often take part in a parade on St George’s Day.

 

Around St George’s Day, you might see a white flag with a red cross. This is St George’s emblem and also the flag of England.  Flags with the image of St George’s cross are flown on some buildings, especially pubs, and a few people wear a red rose on their lapel. The hymn “Jerusalem” (based on the poem written by William Blake in 1804) is also sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels.

 

Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I shall not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green & pleasant land.

(William Blake)

 

St George’s Day Activities

St George’s Dragons  

  1. These great paper plate dragons are really easy and inexpensive to make. Paint two paper plates each in contrasting colours. Cut one in half to create the dragon’s body and then draw the head, tails and wings onto the other one. Carefully cut these out. With the flat edge of the body at the bottom, use PVA glue to attach the head on the left corner and the tail on the right. For the wings, attach one to the front of the plate on the top curved edge, and the other behind next to it. Stick on some googly eyes and give your dragon a smiley or fierce mouth. Finally, paint a lolly-pop stick green (or the same colour as the body), and attach this to the bottom of your dragon on the reverse of the plate.   
  2. Make your fierce dragon out of a sock (preferably green, but any other colour will do as well!) On the heel add the tongue and sew (or glue with a hot glue gun!) the mighty dragon wings, mouth, nose and eyes made out of felt.

For the eyes (you can also use googly eyes) :

For the mouth:

For the muzzle:

For the wings:

 

This is our dragon!!!

 

For more wonderful activities visit:

Creative Station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Puppetry Day

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World Puppetry Day has been celebrated every year on March 21st since 2003. Even though the art of puppetry is very old it was not until the first half of the 20th century that puppeteers began sharing more information about their work. The proposal for the celebration of the day was made in 2000 at the XVIII Congress of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette, (UNIMA) in Magdeburg.

Puppetry is a very ancient form of theatre which was first recorded in the 5th century BC in Ancient Greece. Some forms of puppetry, though, may have originated as long ago as 3000 years BC. In almost all human societies puppets have been used for the purpose of entertainment, as sacred objects in rituals, as symbolic effigies (in celebrations such as carnivals), and as a catalyst for social and psychological change in transformative arts.

There is a wide range and many different varieties of puppets, ranging from the simple finger and sock puppets to hand (or glove) puppets (larger forms such as the Japanese Bunraku may even require two puppeteers for each puppet!) and  to more elaborate marionettes, suspended and controlled by a numbers of strings or rods. Shadow puppets are also widely used: flat figures (which have been treated to make them partly translucent), they are pressed against the screen with a strong source of light behind them.

Today, puppets are everywhere. Puppets can be seen on stage, on television, and in the movies.

Some of the most famous puppets include:

Pinocchio / Punch and Judy / Kermit the Frog / Elmo et al.

Using puppets in the classroom can be an engaging and useful way to help students develop emotionally and grow their language and communication skills. Research shows that using puppets in education has many benefits especially with language skills. Children can practice their oral speaking skills by telling a story to a puppet or explaining words or expressions. If the puppet is “confused” and doesn’t understand something, the child can explain and show the puppet what he has learned.

When used by the teacher, puppets are a good tool to get young children’s attention and create teaching scenarios: puppets can sing songs, tell stories, count, and deliver learning across the whole curriculum. They are an excellent tool for developing listening and attention, phonics and maths skills, and personal development.

I have been using puppetry in my teaching for all the aforementioned reasons, but mostly because I have reserved the child enthusiasm for puppets in my heart!

My feeble attempts have all been linked to my lessons:

1st grade: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (for details see here) / A party in the jungle (puppets) (for details see here) / A party in the jungle (paper puppets) (for details see here)

3rd grade: Pinocchio 

6th grade: Mythical Creatures (shadow puppets): Polyphemus the Cyclops (for details see here)

Christmas elves: Rosie and Nosie 

Most of the times my ‘Homemade Productions’ aim at instigating students to find their own inspiration and artistic voice! 

Me and my puppet ‘arsenal’

 

 

Lorax_EarthDay_Logo

Seuss inspired craft: Meet the Lorax!

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One of my favourite Dr. Seuss’s characters for his environmental sensitivity is definitely the Lorax! Dr. Seuss’s beloved story teaches children to treat the planet with kindness and stand up and speak up for others.

The book is the perfect gift for Earth Day and for any child—or child at heart—who is interested in the environment, recycling, preservation of nature. It was Dr. Seuss’s personal favourite of his books. In his own words: ‘The Lorax came out of me being angry. In The Lorax I was out to attack what I think are evil things and let the chips fall where they might.’

(You can get a lot of ideas for ‘The Lorax Project’ here: We speak for the Earth-The Lorax Project )

The 2012 feature film is also ideal for classroom use in combination with any environmental project: it teaches children the importance of protecting their environment and that nature is not something disposable and pointless. It warns against the dangers of being too greedy and of not thinking about others. (You can get some ideas for after viewing conversations here: Teach with movies-The Lorax )

I have made a Lorax puppet to be used along with the book and/or film. It was crafted in the same way as this wonderful panda: How to make a panda pin puppet

 Here he is:

The Lorax puppet in action!

Here are the templates:

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‘A party in the jungle’ puppet theatre No. 2

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This is my version of the ‘A party in the jungle’ using an empty cereal box.

I made my own small puppet theatre based on the idea of the Halloween one by Kids English Theatre (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZPQMy6cZBQ)

Here’s what I did: I took a box of cereals. I used a green background to convey the idea that it’s a jungle. I cut the figures carefully from the PEAP material (http://rcel.enl.uoa.gr/peap/taksi/kyklos-b/party-jungle?fbclid=IwAR06F3sPtRRn93ZTuoVWyVb47l32MiqLH-QgLUqZNufn2uPlQ7f-UOde04Y#material).

I stuck the image of the elephant and Leo on another piece of paper and added the missing parts as best as I could. I used the PEAP flashcards for Leo (http://rcel.enl.uoa.gr/peap/taksi/kyklos-b/fun-animals?fbclid=IwAR0-n-EXV0RA_J1icO7RtUlMNDSOX3ht0qv_UH8bUrodoExy3aPR1nquew0#material)

Don’t throw away the remaining bits of paper! You can use them in your green background.

Special thanks to my younger daughter, Kate, who was my very patient helper!

Well, hope you find it useful… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bydhWjRH9io&fbclid=IwAR143qf9AgWBPbWoc1un1Qe0n0VfyqO4e56vNdnBruNQyjuc_mp_lq4qigg

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‘A party in the jungle’ puppet theatre No. 1

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I tried to find an engaging and enjoyable way to teach 1st graders the jungle animals and Leo’s birthday… So I went around the house looking for the props and things to help me with my quest! Mind you, my daughters are not that young anymore, so it was more difficult to gather all the stuff I needed (I have left almost all my puppets at school…)

Well, OK, the parrot is not that much of a parrot, the yo-yo is a spinning wheel, the banana is a plastic corn and my zebra is yellow and blue (!!!) but I managed to get the meaning through! It was fun for the kids, who asked for a second and a third time! The cardboard theatre is something I had from a series of Greek fairy tales with puppets on which I added ‘the African jungle’ banner. I guess it’s not that difficult to make.

I’m sending you my video in case anyone finds it helpful !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkMKZMVcneA

This is the ‘performance’ on WeBex!

Halloween Puppet Theatre

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After watching this video  https://www.facebook.com/1859633737640612/posts/2783918198545490/ 

 I made my own version of the Halloween puppet theatre with ideas from 

https://mommymadethat.com/halloween-puppets-free…/… 

for the puppets.

Then I saw that there was a PDF

https://www.kidsenglishtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/02a-Halloween-Theatre.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3hizL7jb1JC7GONzmrlXbaZl9R4d78GnpIk_ZUYRJr267parBbXB8TinM

 for everything…Pfff. But it was great fun!

I think I’ll have kids in each class make their own versions, too!

This is how I made it:

Some students soon got the idea and created their own (without any help from me!)

Have a look:

 

 

Shadow puppet theatre

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‘Homemade productions’ presents: Shadow Puppet theatre!

It was something I long wished to make, partly because I adore puppets and partly because of all the excitement. In 2018 I attended a talk in TESOL Macedonia Thrace by Tatjana Jurišić (from Serbia) on the benefits of using shadow puppets in ELT: communicational and organisational problem-solving skills, collaboration, creativity, all present in the art and craft of creating and bringing shadows to life!

So I used a Styrofoam frame (probably from a refrigerator!!! – Don’t they say that teachers keep all sorts of unnecessary things, cardboard boxes, egg cases, you name it, for future use?) and set out to make my own shadow puppet theatre as I had it in my mind.

Turned out that I could do it in a much easier fashion with a cardboard box… (watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBwLs2lyWgU )

I chose the story of Polyphemus the Cyclops because I can use it as an example with my 6th graders (Unit 3, Imaginary Creatures, Lesson 1, Old and Modern Creatures).

I plan to use it like this: I will have 6th graders in pairs to write a short text about an imaginary creature and then create a short dialogue and a shadow puppet for it.

I will use the shadow theatre with 1st and 2nd graders as well, for the Little Red Riding Hood (with shadow puppets I have made myself and have them make their own for either LRRH or ‘The Three Little Pigs’.)

Well, here it is… Do be kind, as it’s my first attempt!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bad7R9eIjrw