Monday, February 1, 2016

STEAM AHEAD WITH PUPPETS

                                     
Puppets can provide a tangible way to fuse art and creativity with academics. Think about how you can challenge your students to create puppets to teach a science lesson, retell a story, describe their favorite character in a book, solve a problem….the possibilities are endless. And, think about it. If you were a kid, would you rather write a report or make a puppet to teach the information to your classmates?

This month you’ll discover dozens of puppets that you and your students can make from ordinary objects like cups, popsicle sticks, envelopes, paper plates, spoons, lunch bags, and construction paper. Your students will be motivated to use their puppets when they sing the songs and say the rhymes that go along with them.

Envelope Puppet
This puppet is easy peasy! All you have to do is seal envelopes, cut them in half, and put them in a center with markers, crayons, or scrap paper.
Science - If you're studying habitats, invite students to make a puppet about an animal and use it to share information they've learned.
Social Studies - Make a puppet about a community helper, President, or hero.
Nursery Rhymes - How about Jack on one side and Jill on the other side? Humpty Dumpty, Black Sheep, Little Miss Muffet and other rhymes are more fun to repeat with a puppet.
Social Emotional - Use puppets to role play and work out problems.
Literature - Make a story character and retell the story with a friend.
Informative - After reading a book ask children to make a puppet and recall information they've learned.