Parrot Puppet

Objective

To help teachers in creating a puppet of a Parrot for story-telling and other purposes.

Estimated time to create the LTM

30 to 45 Minutes

Materials required for activity

  • Felt paper- Green colour for the face/body
  • Red colour for the beak
  • Googly eyes
  • Glue drops or Fevicol
  • Scissors

Preparation of activity

Keep the materials ready.  If you are using hot glue instead of Fevicol, ensure that the hot glue is heated suitably and is ready for use.

Procedure

  • Take the Green colour felt paper of rectangular size.
  • We need to make a cylindrical shape using this green felt paper. To achieve this cylindrical shape, make about five slits in the middle part of the length, on both sides. The slits may be about one inch apart, the middle slit being shorter than the others. 
  • Now, roll the sheet and join its shorter edges, to form a cylinder-like shape. Fix them using Glue drops.
  • Then, overlap the stripes on the front top of the rolled cylinder and glue them one above another. Repeat for the bottom too.
  • Cut and remove the excess sheet which is seen projected on the back of the cylinder. Now the hollow Parrot face is ready.
  • Take a piece of Red felt paper. Cut out two triangular shapes, one bigger than the other.
  • Take the bigger triangular piece. We have to make a slightly bent shaped part for the upper beak. For that, make small slits on two sides, overlap each slit one over the other and glue them. The upper part of the beak with a slight bend, resembling that of the parrots’ is ready. Now, attach the upper beak to the face.
  • Fold another triangle into ‘V’ shape and attach it just below the upper beak. This is the lower part of the beak. To combine both the upper and lower beak together, glue them on their sides.
  • For the eyes, take a couple of Googly eyes. Apply glue drops and fix them above the beak, on either side. Ensure that both eyes are equidistant diagonally from the beak. 
  • For the finger pipe – Roll a small strip of green paper as a tube, such that it fits your forefinger/Index finger and glue it to get a pipe.
  • Fix the pipe inside the hollow body, using glue drop.
  • Allow a few minutes to dry and the puppet is ready.
  • Insert your forefinger/ index finger into the paper pipe.
  • Move your finger up, down and sideways to demonstrate the movement of the head of a Parrot.

Step by Step Pictures to create the puppets

Important Tips

  1. For these types of puppets, it is better to use thick chart sheets, so that they are durable and can be used many times.
  2. Wedding cards / book covers can be used instead of drawing sheets. 
  3. For reference we can take images from drawing books or the internet. 
  4. While creating the puppet, replicate the character illustration given in the children’s textbook. Once the puppet is ready, use the character’s name from the textbook. Using the name in the textbook helps children to remember the content.
  5. The teacher should use the puppet at an appropriate time. The teacher can narrate the story in a humorous manner.   The teacher may make intentional mistakes to encourage children to correct them, thereby helping them become more actively engaged.

Precautions

Precautions to be taken while manipulating finger puppets:

  1. Always keep the face of the puppet towards the audience.
  2. Focus of the Puppet Master should be on the puppet.
  3. Puppets that are talking are only activated.  Other puppets should remain in a still position.

Troubleshooting:

  1. While making a paper pipe, take the exact size of your finger/hand which you are using. It aids in the proper movement of the puppet.
  2. Use a cutter to make holes.
  3. Holes that you are making should be exactly the size of your fingers. If the hole is big, the puppet cannot fit on your fingers. If the hole is small, you cannot insert your fingers.

Instructions to the Teacher Notes to the Teacher

Puppets can be used in the classroom to teach children about emotions. They are a valuable tool for teaching rhymes, songs, stories and more. Using puppets also aids in developing motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination. Additionally, puppets can enhance communication and social skills, improve focus and concentration and help teach concepts and values.

Using the LTM

The teacher can demonstrate a ‘Puppet Show’.  Teachers can encourage the students to create these puppets and have a ‘Puppet Show’ in the classroom.

Video: How to use LTM

Source and Attribution of images
All images used in the above Assets and Aids are originally created.
This digital material has been developed by the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini Inclusive Education Project, a unit of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, as a collaborative offering in the service of our nation.