Puppetry brings school lessons to life

From creation through performance, the entertaining art of puppetry was shared last week with students in the Early Childhood Center at the Jones Elementary School.

With a grant from the Stoughton Cultural Council, the school hired Puppeteer Judith O’Hare to host in-classroom workshops as well as a performance for the whole school.

In the classroom setting, O’Hare introduced a grandmother puppet to the children. She explained the puppet’s character and then demonstrated how to use it. From a large bag of puppets, O’Hare offered each student one to explore and use. 

After playing with the puppets, the children watched a short toy theatre presentation by O’Hare. Small marionette- styled puppets were used in the production.

“The children appeared mesmerized…with the hand puppets and the …marionettes,” said Jones preschool teacher Nicole Sutka.

For many of the children, the puppets really came to life and represented a true character, said Sutka. “It was amazing to see such drama and creativity stimulated.”   

After the in-classroom workshops, the puppeteer performed a student participatory show called “Jessica’s Friends.” Large marionette puppets were used in the performance, which was all about making friends.

“The children were engaged and really eager to participate,” said Sutka.

Early in the school year, seeking a cultural opportunity for the students, Sutka searched for something within the arts realm that also represented many of the domains of preschool.

“Puppetry works on literacy, language arts, fine motor skills, social interactions, dramatic play, imaginative play…it bridges so many different aspects of what we do in preschool,” said Sutka.

The creative art, she said, offered something outside of the every day repertoire of lessons for both students and teachers.

“This brought our whole population together…and it bolstered our skills in a number of areas,” said Sutka.

The whole day puppetry program, completely funded by the $840 grant, extended back into the classroom with a follow-up lesson on how to create puppets. With templates provided by O’Hare, parents constructed puppets for the students. Last week, using a variety of materials, the students decorated their own puppets. 

“They were excited to make their own characters come alive,” said Sutka. “The puppetry event has been a great exploration in imagination and creativity.”