Snake Puppet

Objective

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

Estimated time to create the LTM

30 to 45 Minutes

Materials required for activity

  • Socks – Black colored – 1 No.
  • Hard White paper – Small piece
  • Red colour paper
  • Googly Eyes
  • Pencil
  • Solution for glue or Fevicol
  • Red marker pen
  • 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 socks. Cut and remove the part above the ankle. We are going to use only the lower part of the socks.
  • Place the socks on a flat surface. Cut the toe of the socks in the shape of a triangle, to resemble the mouth of the snake.
  • Take a small rectangular piece of hard white paper. Fold it into two and insert it in between the two layers of the socks. Ensure that the folded edge is placed towards the inside.
  • Place it on a flat surface, draw the triangular outline of the socks on the white paper using a pencil. Cut the sheet along the outline. Trim the sheet a bit, since we are going to paste it inside the socks. Similarly, cut a Red colored piece of paper in the same shape.
  • Apply the solution only on the edges of the white sheet. Fix it into the socks, to coincide with the triangular cut. Paste the red colored paper on the white paper. 
  • Now, wear the socks in your hand and then fix the googly eyes using the solution.
  • Use a tiny piece of red colour paper and cut out the tongue shape. Fix it such that it is projecting from the upper part of the mouth.
  • Allow to dry for a few minutes and the puppet is ready.
  • To operate the snake puppet, wear it in your hand like gloves and move in serpentine motion, up, down, rotate, open and close the mouth to demonstrate the snake character.

Step by Step Pictures to create the puppets

Important Tips

  1. For these types of puppets, it is better to take the normal size of socks instead of ankle socks and cut it to the required length.  
  2. Various soft puppets can be made in a similar way.
  3. Wedding cards / book covers can be used instead of drawing sheets. 
  4. For reference we can take images from drawing books or the internet. 
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

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.