![]() Here are some puppets-in-process by students in a fifth grade class. And, once they finished, I gave them a fact sheet to write about their puppet. I loved observing the variety of approaches children took as they got started with the process of designing their puppet character. grade 5 puppets-in-process, Pittston School, Maine Getting started with puppets using colorful printed paper–a mother and daughter? The pointed ears on the smaller bag suggest an animal, maybe a cat. Regardless of how they approached making a puppet, I believe every child’s ideas are worthy of respect, provided they stay within safe parameters. Interestingly, some children came to the project with a clear idea for their puppet–a ball player, princess, or favorite animal– while others improvised with the materials until an idea emerged. I decided to demonstrate making paper bag hand puppets because they are simple yet very expressive. ![]() With the addition of a few purchased items–paper lunch bags, fuzzy “pipe cleaner” wires, and wiggle eyes– we were ready to begin! Respect for Children’s Ideas–Creating their Paper Bag Hand Puppet These included natural materials, metal objects, buttons, broken jewelry, and yarn. To prepare for the puppet-making workshop, Karol and the children sorted the materials into categories. Beautiful recycled materials for puppet-making Sorting and Presenting Beautiful Stuff for puppet-making And when the children returned to school, they brought bags and bags of materials from home. In the letter, she invited families to collect items that could be repurposed for puppet-making. Motivated by the book, Karol sent home a letter with the children attached to a paper bag. So I loaned Karol my copy of Lella Gandini and Cathy Topal’s Beautiful Stuff. You really can make art out of anything! Beautiful Stuff! Learning with Found Materials, book cover Collecting “Beautiful Stuff” from homeĪs a visiting artist, I wanted to create anticipation, excitement, and engagement from everyone–classroom teachers, students, and their families. As Cathy Topal and Lella Gandini demonstrate in their classic text, a lot of learning can happen with found materials. And when teachers integrate Beautiful Stuff into their classroom environment, children can start to see the stuff around them with new eyes. I see using repurposed materials, or “Beautiful Stuff”, as an ethical and creative alternative to the typical materials found in an art classroom. “Beautiful Stuff” as an Ethical and Creative Way to Enrich Classroom Learning ![]() By using “Beautiful Stuff,” or found objects brought in from home, we invited children and families to participate in our classroom learning project. ![]() Excited about this opportunity, I proposed a plan to combine “Beautiful Stuff” collage with puppet-making and story telling. This past winter, art teacher Karol Carlsen reached out to me about doing a puppet-making workshop in her school. Puppets and Stories is an artist residency I designed for the elementary school children in Pittston, Maine. A child’s paper bag puppet-in-process, Pittston School Artist Residency with Robin Brooks, May 2022 ![]()
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