A Sunny Place

Looking for an innovative (or actually age old tested) way to communicate?

Puppetools offers their special hinge on which you build all your puppets.  Videos will show you how this hinge is made, and I believe soon they plan to add a template for making various sizes.  Then you set to build your puppet.  You can use one of the 37 patterns they offer, or search the very large database of photos of other puppets that have been created by teachers, parents, and students around the world!  These can be used for teaching, or by students for creativity!  They purposely do not give you an overly large template database because they want to encourage you to create using your own natural bent. 

“Why would I want to subscribe if that’s all I get?”  you may wonder.  They offer a forum, and also as I mentioned before a very large database of photos of puppets that have been made around the world.  You can see what teachers on various parts of the planet are doing with their puppets.   If you come up with a particularly creative puppet send them your photo and they will include in with the rest to continue to give fodder for creative outlets in this arena.

Puppets naturally diminish the defenses of children.  Most children get excited when you set out to make puppets and enjoy them for hours to come after they have been made.  Puppetools has created a “playground” for you on which to spring off for your own puppet making adventure.  There is also a good amount of information on research that has been done on the need to allow children to play creatively. 

 The cost for a group of teachers or church volunteers helpers is $99 a year or only $20 for an individual annual subscription.

The hinge idea on which you build your puppets is very helpful.  We sat down on Thanksgiving and all created Pilgrim puppets with which to tell our Thanksgiving story with.  All 3 of our children played with the puppets for the afternoon until they began  to look pretty worn.  But the value of fun from a fairly economical toy was worth it.

I encourage you to check out their web site today.  Poke around and see what you find.  See if this playground might be a helpful place for you to spend some time!

 Happy Puppetry!