Summer Curriculum Week 4

Week 4: Puppets

The kids loved playing with Rabbi B's puppet collection!

Yes, that's right, puppets. During the Nine Days, the period of mourning in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, we desist from listening and playing music. But Rabbi B always has a backup plan! This week we learned all about different types of puppets and puppetry styles.

A) Show and Share:

Rabbi B began the week showing off his collection of puppets.

Rod puppets:

Ushin and Figan from Turkey (pictured)
Boris and Olga from Russia
Various wooden spoon puppets

Marionettes:
Rabbi from Prague, Czech Republic

Hand Puppets:
Yuki Shimmelman
Monster
Grover from Sesame Street
Lambchops

... and many more!

B) Craft:

 Our Puppets are all very happy!

Rabbi B helped each and every kid make their very own Spoon-Head puppets. This is a very easy and fun hand/rod puppet.

You will need:
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Square Wash Cloth
1 Pipe Cleaner
2 Googly Eyes
Markers
Coloured string
Hot Glue Gun (Parents only please)

1. Glue the goggly eyes to the face of the spoon
2. Draw facial features to the face of the spoon
3. Glue coloured string on top of spoon for hair. (Glue on bottom of spoon head for a beard)
4. Cut a hole in the centre of the wash cloth. Place the spoon down into the hole until the cloth reaches the bottom of the spoon head.
5. Tie the pipe-cleaner around the top of the cloth to a) hold the cloth in place and b) act as the arms of the puppet
6. Hold the puppet by the end of the spoon and voila, your very own spoon-head puppet!

Rabbi B also created a sock puppet together with the kids. He pulled out a whole bunch of random materials and showed how, with a little imagination, you can design your sock to look like anything.

Walking a paper finger puppet

Another puppet the kids got to create was a paper finger puppet. In this puppet, your hand does not control the head of the puppet but rather the feel/legs. By sticking two fingers in the holes by the feet they become the puppets legs and feet. The kids had fun doing different dance moves and making their puppets walk around.

C) Experimentation:

These two girl puppets made everyone laugh a lot!

With the puppets, the kids got to perform a puppet show. Rabbi B brought in his small puppet theatre for the kids to put on their own short skit. As well, Rabbi B led a story which the kids acted out with their puppets.

D) Mitzvah Mashal (Jewish Lesson):

Rabbi B asked the kids: Are we puppets?
He explained that we all had a Neshama (Jewish soul) that is a part of Hashem. It helps us live and do mitzvahs. Just like a puppet is not alive until someone holds onto it and gives it life, so too we would not be able to do anything without a Neshama.

The kids were a bit conflicted but they came to a decision that we are not really Hashem's puppets because we have a brain and can make our own decisions. Rabbi B agreed and explained that since we can make our won decisions, that means we don't have to do what Hashem tells us to, but we can decide to do what Hashem asks us to do and this makes doing Mitzvahs even more special because it comes from us, nobody is forcing us to do it. This means we can be stronger and much smarter than any puppet!