Paper Puppets

Grade Level: Middle School or High School

Materials

• Thick cardstock, cardboard or other paper (water color paper works well)
• Pencils, erasers
• Watercolor or other paint
• Color pencils, markers, etc.
• Long skewer sticks or Popsicle sticks
• Round pins (if puppet is to move – see images above)

This project was designed to accompany a art history/art appreciation course. Students drew, at random, artist’s names from the Renaissance period (any period may be used). In turn the students researched and looked up information on their artists and were to present a short puppet show of their artist being interviewed by another person of their choice (themselves, a celebrity, another artist, etc.). Both characters were to be made as puppets.

Students should include important information about the artist (dates are not so important), clues to remember their work by or interesting details about their personality. As a general rule of thumb 2-3 minutes was plenty of time to say what needed to be said, but giving student’s a time restriction isn’t as important.