Wooden Spoon Puppets (Family Theme)

Our theme for this week is: FAMILY! :) One of the activities we have been doing almost every day is to make a new family member puppet to add to our puppet theater center.   These are some we have already finished so far...

These are so easy, inexpensive (I think a bag of different sized wooden spoons is about $0.88 at Walmart which is where we purchased ours), and fun! My daughter LOVES them and even though they were made for playing with in the puppet center, they have already taken "field trips" into our home and gone on a walk with us. :)  In fact, I believe they are sleeping on our couch tonight on top of some beds she made for them out of mega blocks.  :)

For those interested in the "family" theme, I have posted some other activities/ideas we completed this week (or will be doing tomorrow) below the puppet instructions.  Enjoy!

Wooden Spoon Puppets:

Materials needed: wooden spoons, google eyes (optional), yarn for hair (optional), material for "clothes" (optional), popsicle/craft sticks, yarn or string, markers, glue and glue gun.

Puppet making process:

1. Hot glue a craft stick into place for the arms of the puppet. I tied mine with yarn as well to make sure it would not be coming off despite the rigors of child "love".  (See picture below.)

2. Let your child glue the google eyes onto the "face" and use markers to decorate the other parts of the face.

3. Let your child (or you could do it yourself with a hot glue gun) glue pieces of yarn to the head for hair.

4. While these are drying, let your child cut out some rectangular pieces of cloth for the puppet's clothing. Cut a slit in the middle of the cloth rectangle for a head opening (make sure it is large enough for the spoon head to fit through).

5. Dress your puppet in his/her stylish new clothes and PLAY!!!! :)

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES/IDEAS FOR "FAMILY" THEME:

1. Read books about family.

2. Discuss families, people in our families, how families help each other, adoption and birth into families, etc.

3. Make a word web showing what we discussed (link all ideas to the word "family" at the center).

4. Learn and sing a song asking members of the family how we can help them. Here are the words (sing to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine"):
How can I help?
How can I help?
How can I help, Mommy dear?
How can I help?
How can I help?
How can I help, Mommy dear?
Other verses: just switch out "Mommy dear" for other members of the family.

5. Make lists of how different people in our family help us and others.

6.  Decorate thank you notes and then put all family member names into an envelope.  Without peeking, each person picks out a name and writes a thank you note to that person, telling them how grateful they are for them and for how they contribute to the family.  Hide the notes in places where each family member is sure to find them during the day and enjoy the happy looks when the thank you notes are read.  :)

Linking to:
http://www.itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
http://www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
http://www.delicateconstruction.blogspot.com/
www.abcand123learning.com