This week: Why not get wacky in the kitchen? You can turn just about anything from your utensil drawer into a puppet. Here’s how.
Materials Needed:
- Items from kitchen drawers—wooden spoons, potato mashers, dinner forks, soup ladles
- Plastic wrap, aluminum foil, small plastic bags, yarn, paper strips
- Recipe cards or small pieces of stiff paper (file folder, cereal box panel)
- Scissors
- Tape, glue, yarn or string
- Markers, crayons or colored pencils or pens
- **Collection of other items for decoration, as you wish
Step 1: Take a look at the items in your kitchen. Turn them upside down/ hold them by their handles, for example. These handles become your puppet controller.
Step 2: Weave strips of plastic wrap, foil, paper, yarn etc. through the top holes or loops to form hair. If you make it short, it will stand straight up. If you make it long, and of several strands, you might braid it.
Step 3: Make eyes or other features on the stiff paper; cut out and add to the base, as you decide.
Make a story up for this new creation, or act out a favorite book or story. If you make two puppets, you can have a conversation with your “kitchen karacters” on your own; if someone else is home with you, they can join in making a puppet, or using the extra one you’ve made.
TIP: Use these items with permission, and avoid gluing anything that can’t be removed later to make use of the kitchen gadget, for real.