Recipient of the 2006 Teachers' Choice Award for Best Content Provider-Fine Arts Museum! The Center for Puppetry Arts opened to the public on September 23, 1978, when Kermit the Frog and his creator Jim Henson cut the ceremonial ribbon. The first puppetry center in the United States, today it is the largest American organization solely dedicated to the art of puppet theater.
The Center has been a leading voice in the field, and has hosted numerous conferences and festivals. In addition, the Center has been recognized both nationally and internationally as an organization for excellence. The Ford Foundation recently selected the Center as one of only 28 national organizations to be recognized for success in management and innovative programs. The prestigious Kresge Foundation awarded the Center three different grants to support its capital campaigns. The Center was also the only theater group chosen by the 1996 Olympics to participate in all four years of its arts festival program.
Provider's Events:
1. View Butterflies - Each student will construct a Butterfly Marionette while participating in learning activities about the lifecycle of the butterfly, what makes a butterfly an insect, and coloring and camouflage. Video clips and photographs of the different stages in the life of a butterfly are included. This is a great arts and science lesson all in one!
Puppet materials are easy-to-find, low-cost items that can mostly be found around the classroom. The materials list, templates, and curriculum-based study guide can be downloaded from our website.
Objectives
- students will develop and appreciation for the global art form of puppetry
- identify the characteristics of insects
- discuss how butterflies use coloring and camouflage to protect themselves from predators
- explore the lifecycle of the butterfly
- create a working puppet tied into the discipline of science
2. View Africa (Mali) - Students build a Malian Rod Puppet and learn about the role of puppetry in Mali today. Students learn characteristics about the continent of Africa (different topography, people and cultures) and Mali itself. Homes, people, and environments are compared and discussed This is a great arts and social studies lesson in one! Also great for multicultural units.
Puppet materials are easy-to-find, low-cost items that can mostly be found around the classroom. The materials list, templates, and curriculum-based study guide can be downloaded from our website.
Objectives
- explore the cultural diversity of Africa
- develop an appreciation for puppetry as an art form in other cultures
- Engage in a discussion about how art is used for communications in a traditional African community
- locate Africa and Mali on the world map
- Compare and contrast their lifestyle to a peer in Timbuktu, Mali
- create a working rod puppet based on traditional Malian culture
3. View Dinosaurs - Students learn interesting facts about dinosaurs while building a Dinosaur Cup puppet. Learning activities focus on the following: meat eaters vs. plant eaters, ways that dinosaurs moved, and ways that dinosaurs protected themselves. This is a great arts and science lesson all in one!
Puppet materials are easy-to-find, low-cost items that can mostly be found around the classroom. The materials list, templates, and curriculum-based study guide can be downloaded from our website.
Objectives
- create a hand puppet tied to science curriculum
- compare meat-eating vs. plant-eating dinosaurs
- engage in a discussion about protective devices used by dinosaurs
- explore different types of dinosaurs that lived in the skies, on land, and in the oceans
4. View Discovering Puppetry in Other Cultures - This program is offered for 4th-12th & is adapted according to age group. Students are introduced to other countries and cultures through puppetry. Teachers choose two countries on which to focus. Students learn about puppetry traditions of Mali (Africa), Japan and China with the aid of a Malian Water Spirit Rod Puppet, Japanese Bunraku Rod Puppet, and Chinese Hand and Shadow Puppets. Students also view videotape excerpts of master puppeteers from Japan and China. Students are involved in a question and answer session as well as hands-on puppet building (optional) to make this a truly interactive, virtual classroom. This is a great arts and social studies lesson all in one!
Objectives
- develop an appreciation for puppetry as a global art form and means of expression
- explore the role of puppetry in societies of other countries
- develop an appreciation for other cultures
- create an art work based on Chinese culture
- compare different puppetry styles around the world
5. View Plants - Students will construct a Pop-Up Plant puppet while learning about the various parts of a plant and their functions. Students will also discuss photosynthesis and plants as food. This is a great arts and science lesson all in one!
Puppet materials are easy-to-find, low-cost items that can mostly be found around the classroom. The materials list, templates, and curriculum-based study guide can be downloaded from our website.
Objectives
- identify basic plant parts
- describe functions of plant parts
- engage in a discussion about photosynthesis
- engage in a discussion about pollination
- identify fruits and vegetables as different plant parts
-create a working rod puppet tied into science curriculum
6. View Spiders - The puppet and learning activities for this program can be modified to suit the participating age group. Students build a Spider Marionette while participating in learning activities about how spiders and insects differ, web vs. wandering spiders, and the lifecycle of a spider. This is a great arts and science lesson in one!
Puppet materials are easy-to-find, low-cost items that can mostly be found around the classroom. The materials list, templates, and curriculum-based study guide can be downloaded from our website.
Objectives
-explore the lifecycle of a spider
-compare insects to spiders
-engage in a discussion about web builders vs. hunting spiders
-create a working puppet tied to science curriculum
7. View Tropical Rain Forest - Student will construct a flying Tropical Bird Rod puppet. They will participate in learning activities about the location of tropical rainforests and their relationship to the equator and tropic lines, various animals found in the rain forest and the different layers of the rain forest. This is a great arts and science lesson all in one!
Puppet materials are easy-to-find, low-cost items that can mostly be found around the classroom. The materials list, templates, and curriculum-based study guide can be downloaded from our website.
Objectives
- locate rain forests around the world on a world map
- develop an appreciation for puppetry as a global art form
- list characteristics of the strata of a tropical rain forest
- match animals to their home range in a tropical rain forest
- compare the roles of birds in a South American rain forest
8. View Edgar Allan Poe - Associate Producer Bobby Box takes students on a behind-the-scenes look of classic literature brought to life on the puppet stage. Students engage in a dialogue with Box and discuss design concepts of the performance and how they were brought to life on the puppet stage. Video clips of show excerpts, models of the stage design, and puppets from the performance enhance this program. Students wills view excerpts from one or more of the following scenes: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Raven, The Bells, and The Black Cat. This is a great arts and literature lesson all in one!
9. View A Midsummer Night's Dream/ Shakespeare - Associate Producer Bobby Box takes students on a behind-the-scenes look of classic literature brought to life on the puppet stage. Students will discuss theme, point of view, characters, puppet design, stage design and performance techniques of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Video clips of show excerpts, models of the stage design, and puppets from the performance enhance this program. This is a great arts and literature lesson all in one!
10. View The Gingerbread Boy - Students witness the classic tale of The Gingerbread Boy come to life with brilliantly colored shadow puppets. The story is narrated and performed during the first part of the program. Led by the program presenter, students make their very own Gingerbread Boy Shadow Puppet during the second half of the program. They also participate in a learning activity about gingerbread's history. This is a great holiday program. Bookings available November-January.
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