Badge: Simple Puppets

Puppets encourage imagination and creativity. From designing puppets to creating backdrops and even making up skits, puppet play is fun for adults and kids alike.

Steps

1. Paper bag.

A simple puppet for kids of any age is a paper bag puppet. Using a lunch bag (tan or white), you create a puppet by using the bottom folds as a mouth. The bag can be designed as a head, person or animal. There are also printables available online that can be colored and attached to the bag. Create one or more paper bag puppets.

NOTE: I found and scanned a set of nine Girl Scout paper bag puppet printables to use. See the list in Supplements below.

2. Stick.

Stick puppets are also known as rod puppets. You can use only one stick and attach a head / body. Alternately, you can also add sticks so that arms and legs can move. Create a stick puppet.

3. Sock.

Sock puppets are often orphan socks that have yarn or fiber added for hair as well as buttons for eyes and other decoration. Start with a sock and create a puppet without any decoration. Determine what would look good and design your own sock puppet from materials you have on hand or find directions to create your own sock puppet.

4. Cup.

Painting or decorating a cup, adding features and perhaps even allowing it to move is easy. Create a fish puppet out of two paper cups, two brass brads and wiggle eyes as one type of puppet you can make out of cups. If you’re feeling ambitious, find other paper cup puppets to try.

5. Paper finger.

Paper finger puppets are just wraps put on your fingers designed as puppets. The easiest are puppets that go on one finger only. Create a paper finger puppet.

An alternative to a puppet that wraps around your finger is one where you use your fingers as moving parts of the puppets. There are two for you to try in Supplements below — an elephant and a clown. Try making one of these types of paper puppets or create a puppet out of paper any way you wish.

6. Felt finger.

Similar to the first paper finger puppet, the felt puppet slips over one finger. It can be decorated however you want. You can make this easier to cutting the fingers off felt / fleece gloves and decorating those. Check out one of the many links or pins listed below in Sites to Explore.

7. Shadow.

Stick / rod puppets can be used for shadow puppets. Details are unnecessary on your puppet. The shape, however, is extremely important. Any shape can be used as a shadow puppet but you need to make sure it is identifiable. Make silhouettes of the heads of your group into shadow puppets.

In addition to making a single shadow image on a stick, you can add movement by using brads to attach pieces and string so they can move. The Shadow Puppet supplement features a movable bird, dog and brownie. Make one or more shadow puppets.

8. Hand shadow.

Like shadow puppets, detail is not important. You use your hands to create silhouettes of various animals and more. Use the supplemental minibook or search online for how to make shadow puppets with your hands. Practice until you make them look real.

9. Explore.

Create your own easy puppet from the materials in your own home. If you’re having fun with it, keep creating. When you have a few puppets to work with, it’s time to have a play.

Puppet Play

10. Scripts.

Any script, skit or story can be made into a script. This includes fairy tales, folklore and mythology. Explore what scripts are available online.

You might choose to make your own story into a script. You might be inspired by the actions of your kids, family members or friends. Do you have the puppets you need for your idea? Start with the characters you need. One should be the main character — the protagonist. Make sure you have an antagonist to create interest and drama.

Then, look to your audience. You want to write a script that they can understand. Too long and younger kids will be antsy to move. Long dialogue will be boring. Some situations will not be understood by all ages. Be sure your story and your audience are compatible.

Plan your plot, add some humor and animation. Practice your dialogue and refine it until you’re happy with it.

11. Shadow theater.

For a shadow theater, you need a strong light source as well as a way to show the shadows on a light wall or behind a thin sheet. A diagram is available in the silhouettes supplement. Create a theater for your shadow puppets.

12. Stage theater.

Some ideas to create a quick “theater” include:

Remove the bottom side of from a box / shoebox
Cut a hole in the bottom of a box and use that as the stage
Recycle shelving

Research and experiment with various ways to create your own theater. If you plan on doing a lot of play, you may want to look at a more “permanent” type of puppet theater.

Supplements

SUPP_Simple Puppets_2in_12up_larajla

Avery 2.5” round label printable, 12-up

SUPP_Simple Puppets_Checklist_larajla

Badge checklist

SUPP_Craft Fun_Finger Puppets_larajla

Craft Fun Sheet: Finger Puppets

SUPP_Craft Fun_Paper Bag Puppets_larajla

Craft Fun Sheet: Paper Bag Puppets

SUPP_Print Fun_Shadow Puppets_larajla

Silhouettes and Shadowgraphs

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_BadenPowell_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Lord Baden Powell

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_GS_Brownie_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Girl Scout Brownie

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_GS_Cadette_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Girl Scout Cadette

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_GS_Daisy_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Girl Scout Daisy

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_GS_Junior_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Girl Scout Junior

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_GS_Senior_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Girl Scout Senior

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_JulietteLow_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Juliette Low

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_LeaderFemale_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Female Leader

SUPP_FND_GSPBP_LeaderMale_larajla

Paper Bag Puppet: Male Leader </em>

Sites to Explore

Get the infographic here > larajla blog post

Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs