"True art is an expression of the human being's search for a relationship with the spiritual, whether the spiritual longed for when his soul leaves the body, or the spiritual which he desires to remember when he dips down into a body, or the spiritual to which he feels more related than to his natural surroundings, or the spiritual as manifested in colors when outside and inside lose their separateness and the soul moves through the cosmos, freely, swimming and hovering, as it were, experiencing its own cosmic life, existing everywhere; or ... the spiritual as expressed in earth life, in the relationship between man's soul-spirit and the cosmic ... " - Rudolf Steiner
Course WC/ART
Puppetry
Lesson 1 - Table Puppets
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Course Outline
Puppetry
Lesson 1 - Table Puppets Lesson 2 - Finger Puppets Lesson 3 - Marionettes 1 Lesson 4 - Marionettes 2 Lesson 5 - Marionettes 3 |
Introduction
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“We must do everything in our power to help the children to develop fantasy.” ~ Rudolf Steiner. Puppetry (finger puppets, small puppets and marionettes) are common within Waldorf schools because they are a living play imbued with inner imagination and fantasy. Puppet shows draw the child into a story, watching it unfold step by step, grow and change, and these pictures are taken right into the stream of life forces, without creating hard and fixed impressions. The draw forth from children their imagination and allow the story to take them where they need to do as far as the inner life working pictures. Puppets and puppet shows are not only beautiful, but provide many advantages. Rahima Baldwin Dancy, a Waldorf early childhood educator, notes that “when stories and fairy tales are translated into cartoons or movies, they lose their evocative quality and are often too powerful…for young children. But when stories are acted out in front of the children using stand-up puppets or marionettes, the experiences have a very calming and healing effect on the children.” Because of its value, puppetry has fast become one of the most popular forms of educational instruction in traditional elementary schools. The California State Curriculum Guide states that puppetry is an ideal instrument for aiding in language development. According to Frisch (2004), at their most basic, puppets are an exceptional means of conveying a message. However, the value goes much, much further. Puppetry integrates more art forms, disciplines and subject matter than any other creative or dramatic medium. Exploring the puppet theater arts opens the door to history, music, math, science, creative writing and language arts, painting, sculpting, acting, dance and many other disciplines that have their roots in a multitude of cultures, some of which have puppetry traditions that extend back for thousands of years. |
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Tasks and Assignments Puppetry Lesson 1
1. Watch videos.
2. Create your own 10 table puppets. 3. Perform a simple story with your table puppets, and practice the performance several times. You may use an already existing script or story, or a story you have invented yourself. 4. Create a video of your table puppets performance and submit. Items Needed
Cardboard roll, cotton and wool cloth, hemp string, needle and thread, colored wool, buttons, nature items and accessories.
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Please submit files of completed art project(s), comments and questions via the online form or via email.