Share family memories using wacky puppets

When William Shakespeare wrote “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” he couldn’t possibly have imagined all the gadgets and gizmos that would eventually make up our world’s stage of the 21st century.

Think creatively with your kids about the stuff we live with day in and day out, and come up with items that can be “players” in your own cast of creative puppets. When you finish making them, put on your own production.

While your impromptu script might not sound exactly like Shakespeare, it can be filled with your own priceless stories of places you’ve been and things you’ve done as a family.

Here’s How to Get Started

“Gather kitchen tongs and any other object that opens and closes, such as a spring-loaded hair clip. (Look for them at bargain prices at garage sales and secondhand stores.) You’ll also need scissors, glue and craft supplies, such as craft foam, feathers, buttons, beads, pipe cleaners, pom-pom balls and googly eyes.

“Put your hands in the handle portion of the tongs or on the back of the hair clip and make the open and close motion of the object to help you imagine how the puppet will look when it “talks.” As you practice moving it, think about what or whom you want your creature character to look like. Pom-pom ball for a head? Twisted pipe-cleaner tongue? Fancy wiry hair topped with an upside-down detergent bottle lid hat with a silk flower on top?

“Glue the wacky items to the object. Let dry completely.

“Stage a production behind a sofa, or make your own stage by inserting a tension rod through the casing of a curtain and hang it in a doorway.

Bonus learning opportunity: You’ll be teaching your kids that the road to something new and fun can start right at home using their own creativity.