Stream/Pond PUPPETS!

A six year old friend builds a three dimensional box fish rod puppet out of cardboard, foam and hot glue.

Day one of the CMSD August residency involved puppets.  LOTS of them!  97 puppets to be exact, in 2 hours...I love making puppets with young people because they can be wildly sucessful using a variety of materials and puppet styles for little ones all the way down to toddlers. We took over CMSD's art studio and filled tables with tons of colorful supplies to inspire 3D puppets that might live in a pond or stream habitat.  

As part of our ongoing research into children's inquiry about pond/stream habitats, each child was invited into the exhibit space to find the ideal home for their puppet creature. "Why did you choose this location?", I asked.  Children gave lots of reasons for their choices including safety, proximity to food sources and beautiful natural sights. I shot a photo of each child with their puppet in their home and asked each puppets' name.  Above is a baby trout named "fish" by a four year old friend. Tomorrow is a day full of observation in the space and working with performer to deepen engagement in the space through prop play and creative drama.  Lets do it!

Meet "Rudy" who is a carp who lives in the deep pond weed.

"Rufus" lives under the pond weed in the shallow water waiting for fish to eat.

"Todd" is an albino bear who lives in a burrow near the stream.

Three baby fish who live in the middle of the pond so they can see everything!