Creative Puppet Journey in ES

Students in Mrs. Markunas' class have embarked on an exciting journey into the realm of puppetry. From drawing characters to performing captivating plays, these young learners are discovering the magic of storytelling through puppets.

It was immediately evident to the teachers that this group of learners enjoys puppets. On the first day of school, Margot drew an Ice King. She wanted to make her character move, and another student suggested transforming it into a puppet. This idea quickly caught on with others, and many created popsicle stick puppets. To extend their interest the teachers brought out the puppet theater and hand puppets. The children were in awe listening to a quick play put on by the teachers. The puppet theater was by far the most popular area during centers. The dedicated teachers wasted no time in nurturing their students' interest and incorporated more puppetry.

As you may know, Mrs. Hollenbeck, Head of the Experiential School, is very interested in puppets and has been carving wooden rod puppets for over a year. Many students who were in Alpha last school year were able to enjoy a few different puppet shows put on by the ES faculty. Mrs. Hollenbeck visited Mrs. Markunas’ class to share about different kinds of puppets with the curious students. She showed the children her most recent creation, a scarf puppet. The children were amazed by the strings that made the puppet move in various ways, and loud squeals could be heard when the puppet flew. She loaned the puppet to the class, and the classroom echoed with excitement as they eagerly learned how to manipulate the strings to bring their new friend to life.

Next, the children created their own puppets: popsicle stick puppets, paper bag puppets, and hand puppets with fabric. 

Mrs. Markunas said, “We worked on creating our own simple paper bag puppets and they couldn’t be more perfect! We had puppets that wore crowns, characters with jetpacks, and animals. I love seeing how each child approaches their thoughts, execution of the creation, and how they interact with their created puppet.”

This past week the class focused on thinking about characters and a storyline before creating new puppets. This preplanning helped many self-direct their puppet making. The children were so excited that most chose to work on their puppets during rest time. Students adhered their characters to popsicle sticks and teachers wrote down their dictations. They practiced telling their stories with their hand made popsicle puppets and each student will have the chance to perform their story for their classmates. The stories will be recorded by the children on iPad devices as stop motion videos. 

Mrs. Hollenbeck has been away this week on vacation at the 22nd World Festival of Puppet Theaters in Charleville-Mézières, France. She will surely return with creative puppetry ideas to share! The collaborative spirit and sheer joy emanating from Mrs. Markunas' class as they explore the world of puppetry serve as a testament to the power of experiential learning. As they continue their puppetry adventures, one thing is clear - these young minds are on a path to discovering the enchanting world of storytelling, one puppet at a time.

Recently Mrs. Hollenbeck shared the following about storytelling and art mediums in the classrooms:

"Every time a student is drawing, they open up a context of observation and documentation for the teacher and for themselves. As a matter of fact, every experience involving mark-making (stick on sand, finger in the air, drips of color on water, fingerprints on playdough) is a dialogue.

We understand that this is a reciprocal process: the children observe us, and we observe the children. When observing children in action, teachers document the process, which will translate into provocations.

Every Experiential School teacher knows that words often emerge along with drawing and the movement of the hands of the children. This simultaneous emergence of gestures, words and images is called synesthesia of perception.

Different mediums will provide different experiences and outcomes. The instruments and even the paper will produce different results, and these will impact the drawing. The material is never neutral, neither are the choices teachers make when setting the contexts in the classroom. New materials are offered to provide children with opportunities to experiment, which includes taking risks, making mistakes and embracing new possibilities. This interweaving of different experiences and knowledge gives the children freedom to explore what is new and unknown.

Parents often wonder how The Experiential School teachers incorporate Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening to our daily routine. The dialogue with materials is one answer. We support playful literacy in the classroom because we believe that inspiration is everywhere.

One day they will grow up and will have thick books to read, long papers to write, and presentations to make.

We are here to nurture these young minds because all storytellers were once little."

Flickr album: Puppetry in ES | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin

#ExperientialSchool #Arts