Make Your Own Puppets, Part 2: Puppets from Kitchen Supplies

Today we're continuing with some fun puppets that are easy to make. They can be used in your Bible Club, Sunday school, or anytime your kids need some entertainment. These puppets are all based off of common kitchen supplies, and you'll need a few craft supplies as well. This is a great way to teach your kids about being good stewards by recycling.

Wooden Spoon Puppets
Materials:

• wooden spoons
• yarn
• glue, scissors
• paint or markers
• scraps of fabric or felt
• crepe paper
• wiggle eyes
• trims, buttons, chenille wire
• construction paper

1. Paint or color a face onto the back side of the spoon. Glue on wiggle eyes and/or features made from buttons, felt scraps, etc.
2. Glue on yarn strips for hair—short, curly, braids, whatever you feel like. Get creative!
3. Tie a rectangular piece of fabric around the spoon handle or cut out clothes from crepe paper and glue them to the spoon.
4. Add arms made of chenille wire. Cut construction paper hands and glue them to the ends of the wire, if you'd like. 

Water Bottle Puppets
Materials:

• paper
• paper towels
• plastic bottles
• rubber bands
• wiggle eyes
• small paper cups
• yarn, trims, chenille wire
• glue, markers
• foam balls

1. Make a wad of paper towels for the head and fasten them over the top of the bottle with a rubber band. Or use the foam ball for the head.
2. Draw or glue on facial features.
3. Glue on yarn strips for hair—short, curly, braids, etc.
4. Use folded paper for a facket, and attach chenille wire arms, if you wish.

Paper Cup Puppets
Materials:

• paper cups
• scraps of fabric or yarn
• paint or markers
• glue, scissors

1. Turn the cup upside down so the child's hand will fit underneath. Wrap a scrap of fabric halfway around the top, glue it in place, and fold the sides down to make a headpiece.
2. Wrap a longer piece of fabric around the bottom and glue it on to make clothing.
3. Paint on eyes and a nose. Use scraps of brown fabric or yarn for eyebrows, mustache, and beard.

Paper Plate Puppets
Materials:

• two paper plates
• tape
• yarn
• paint or markers
• crepep paper
• scissors, glue

1.  Draw a face on the bottom of a paper plate. Cut off the bottom of the plate at the chin area, if you'd like.
2. Cut the second paper plate in half. Place the plates together, edge to edge, with the bottoms out, so the half plate is behind the top half of the whole plate, forming an upside-down pocket. Tape the plates together. Glue on crepe paper or yarn hair. Your hand will slip into the pocket so you can make the head turn and nod.

Make Your Own Puppets, Part 1

There is an almost endless variety of puppets you can make with easy-to-find materials. And the good news is that most can be created from items found in your supply room or purchased inexpensively! We have lots of ideas for puppets, so this is part one in a series to help you create your own puppets for your Bible Club or any other Children's program.

Some puppets require nothing more than a hand to operate them. Others can be used with a simple stage or puppet theater. If you don't have the means to build a permanent theater, hand puppets can be operated from behind a table by placing the table on its side, folding two legs and letting the table rest on the other two opened legs on the floor.

Today's post is about puppets you can make from paper bags.

Colored paper bags from Oriental Trading

Materials:

• lunch-size paper bags (colored bags are fun)
• construction paper
• chenille wire, buttons, trims
• scraps of fabric and yarn
• paint, crayons, or markers
• glue
• scissors

Flat Paper Bag Puppets
 
Keep the paper bags folded and in a flat position. Decorate and draw faces in any way you wish. Animals work well as paper bag puppets since they have noticeable characteristics such as large or small ears, slanted or rounded eyes, etc. (If you make lions, you can loop orange yarn around the head to make the mane.)

You can draw the entire animal face or Bible person's head on construction paper and then cut the face in half just above the mouth or just below the upper lip. To make the puppet "talk," attach half of the face to the top flap (formed by the bottom of the bag folded down) and the other half to the bag itself. Glue the eyes and nose to the top flap and the mouth shape to the bag itself to enable the "mouth" to move up and down. You may also simply draw a face on the bag or glue on wiggle eyes and other features. Place your hand inside the bag and make the puppet's head move by moving your fingers up and down.

Stuffed Paper Bag Puppets

1.  Open the bag and stuff it with crumpled newspaper to form the head. Crunch and mold it to form the shape you want (it should be about the size of a fist). Ears can be shaped from the bag or made from construction paper and stapled or glued onto the bag.
2. Tie the bag loosely at the "neck" so a finger can be inserted into the head. 
3. Cut slits on the side of the bag so the child's little finger and thumb can stick out to form the puppet's hands. 
4. Paint or color facial features or add a yarn smile and wiggle eyes. 
5. Use fabric to tie around the neck to form clothes, or paint clothes onto the bag itself. Add any other trims you wish, such as yarn hair.

Make Your Own Puppet Theater

To make a simple, inexpensive puppet theater, use a heavy cardboard carton about 24 x 18 x 15-inches deep, and cover it completely with plain paper, wallpaper, or self-stick plastic. The bottom of the box will be in four sections, and this is the front of your theater. Cut a scalloped edge along the top about two inches deep. Push the two side pieces in toward the center so they’re at an angle. You can cover these with flannel or felt so background pictures such as trees or tents will adhere.


Push in the bottom piece to strengthen the base. The top sections can be pushed in for extra strength also, if needed. From the back of the bottom section, cut a strip about 15 x 6-inches. This is large enough for the puppeteers’ hands to come through. 


For a backdrop, use a regular flannel board background — a desert scene, a street, a temple setting, etc. Simple background scenes can be painted on flannel, using tempera paint. Or use colored fabric or bulletin board scenes, or print scenes from the internet as your backdrop. Secure the backdrop with masking tape or colorful thick tape (to form a border) so it hangs straight. 


For the story action, set the stage on a high table that is covered with opaque cloth. The puppeteer can sit behind the table on a low stool and put his hands through the opening at the base. He should be low enough to see what the puppets are doing.