Title: Bird Origami Hand Puppet
Description: Students make hand puppets using a single sheet of paper and folding paper like a traditional origami fortune teller. This project is a great way to introduce compassion as a theme. Students relate to the different characters and the stories they create.
Project Ideas: theater, interpersonal, compassion, body kinesthetic
Objectives:
1.Students use mathematical skills learning symmetry and crease precision with folding.
- Students make a puppet, stage curtains and props, personalizing a very structured outcome of origami with color and added feathers.
- Students practice intra personal skills by creating an identity through naming puppet, and creating a voice and actions for their puppet.
4. Students practice inter personal skills making their own toy/ actor / singer to play with in small groups with which they create skits, songs and perform for others.
Grade level or Target Age Range: Elementary to middle school (can be adapted for younger students or those with limited folding skills or time with ASI pre -made handout).
Vocabulary: symmetry, diagonal, triangle, square
Materials: Square of white paper, pencils, markers, scissors, tape and glue.
Anticipatory Set (introductory to the project): Do you have a favorite singer or actor? Actors and singers have unique names, personalities, styles and material they perform, each one has different personality or message that they express. What is you favorite singer or actor? Why? Song writers and play writers often work together to find ways small groups of singers and actors can express a message for an audience. What might be your message?
Demo/Directions:
- Show finished hand puppet and paper fortune tellers. Many students know how to make fortune tellers and can help others.
- Hand out white squares and have students start by folding paper in half on a diagonal. Unfold.
- Then fold each of the four corners to the center point. Repeat.
- Carefully put thumb in bottom opening and fingers in top opening. Fold in half making fingers and thumb meet inside hand puppet.
- Draw beak, and eyes and inside mouth. Color with markers.
- If time allows on a separate paper draw feathers. Color, cut and glue to puppet.
- Students create a stage sit by taping two sheets of paper to hang off table for curtains. Students in groups of 2 and 3 create a story and or song and any needed props.
- Students sit under table tape to perform.
Students can watch Baby Einstein Puppets Vol 3 for ideas!
References:
youtube – acting exercises for kids
Storybird – creating your own story