Acorn and Rose classes are offered in the Olympia area and beyond. Please call 360-894-3459 for information and signup.
Workshops and Residencies are offered at schools and preschools for children and teachers. Teachers may earn graduate and/or undergraduate credits or clock hours. Except for an all-school Puppetry Day, each workshop is intended for up to twenty-five participants. To book a workshop, please contact us here.
What you'll experience in classes and workshops:
Shadow puppets - The fastest and simplest to make, shadow puppets are paper silhouettes backlit by a strong lamp. I present a shadow puppet demonstration or puppet show using my shadow stage, then children make their own shadow puppets for a simple performance. Children use my stage for the performance piece as I narrate the story. Allow one and a half to two hours for everything: demo, puppet-making, practice, performance and clean up. If participants create their own story, more time is required. Shadow puppets are easy and versatile and may be used for any theme.
Glove puppets - Cut and sew a basic glove puppet, then decorate with hair, faces and costumes. Allow one and a half hours for creating your puppet and learning simple manipulation techniques.
Papier mache hand puppets - start by making puppet heads with clay. These are covered with papier mache and then painted. They are the most time-consuming puppets to make. Great for residencies, requiring at least ten hours with volunteers assisting in elementary grades. Once the puppets are ready, it's time for a class in making puppets come alive through manipulation and voice. Use them to act out stories, become language partners and more!
Rod Puppets - Heads are created from recycled plastic liter bottles covered with papier mache; bodies are made of paper towel tubes and old small turtlenecks. Rod puppets are larger than hand puppets. Time: Varies with age of participants, less time needed for grades five to twelve. Great for residencies. Assitants are needed for elementary grades.
Mask-making - Surprisingly simple
to make, beautiful masks to wear or
for giant-size puppets. Animals, birds, creatures, or faces from other cultures and times. One to two hours.
Combination workshop/show - puppet making workshop and puppet show. Forty-five minutes of puppet making, followed by a half-hour puppet show - for libraries, schools, preschools. Example: Make a paper dragon puppet - then watch a half-hour Acorn and Rose show featuring a dragon.
Teacher Training - Using Puppets In Classroom or Library - teachers and librarians explore and experience the advantages of using puppets as teaching tools, story telling, introducing new topics, communication and conflict negotiation. Watch a quick overview of the history and uses of puppetry. Learn to make a simple table-top stage for shadow and hand puppets. Get ideas for using puppetry in your classroom and/or library. Time: ninety minutes to two hours.
The Artist in Residence programs are extended workshops for small or large groups to develop puppetry projects over a full day (or several days in a row; or once a week for several weeks). For example: create puppets, develop script, practice puppet performance skills, create an impromptu theater or puppet stage and put on a play. Whew! It's all so much fun! Learning experiences are usually coordinated with teachers to complement your curriculum standards.
Assemblies - For large schools, this is your opportunity to include every child. An inspiring and very enjoyable all-school assembly is scheduled for the end of a day, following back-to-back forty-minute workshops by grade level. In the workshops, each student makes a simple puppet. In the assembly, everyone watches a brief slide show of puppetry around the world and learns basic puppet manipulation. Groups use their puppets to perform songs or skits by grade level for the other classes. Watch your children fall in love with learning through their puppets!
Fees and funding - Depending on your school's situation and my time, all fees are negotiable, usually $200 for a single workshop or $500 for a day. Please call me at 360-894-3459 or write to me at my contact page. For workshops extending over several weeks (say, doing papier mache glove puppets, creating a stage and doing a production - meeting once or twice a week), the fee is hourly. I am looking into grants right now and will pass along whatever I come up with for you to use. PTAs can be great with bake sales, car washes, kids running for dollars, and other "backyard" creative funding.
Credits and Clock Hours - Teachers may earn graduate/undergraduate credits or clock hours for puppetry training (granted through Acorn and Rose by City University, Seattle, WA). Individual fees apply.
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