Paper Bag Puppets

So I rocked up to work one morning, and looked at the schedule. Beside craft it said "Sock Puppets." I thought that was incredibly cool. After searching the supply cupboard I realised, we don't actually have any socks... I consulted the coordinator and we decided we'd have to do paper bag puppets instead. She wanted to give me  the paper bags from the kitchen; you know, the brown ones. But early on in my time at the centre I'd noticed a stack of large envelopes sitting on one of the craft shelves. They've never been used. So I decided we'd use them to make puppets.

Best. Idea. Ever. (For that day, at least).

These envelopes just happened to have windows in the perfect position to put they eyes behind the window. "Ned Kelly Puppets!" my co-worker exclaimed from the kitchen when she saw the 'paper bags' I intended to use. And well, I didn't make Ned Kelly, but I definitely used the slit-in-the-helmet concept for the placement of my eyes.

Kids can do whatever they like with this craft. We had puppets with yarn hair and paper bows. We had puppets with googly eyes. We had puppets frills (like mine). Puppets with ribbon headbands. Puppets with flowers. Vampire Puppets. Girl Puppets. Boy Puppets. The sky is the limit.

Just stick it all on, draw the rest and slip it on your hand.

And the perfect technique to get younger kids to come and make one? Have yours made up in advance and get the puppet to do all the talking. Mine (despite looking very feminine) ended up with a Grover from Sesame Street voice. But it worked. I got three preps and a couple of grade ones to make puppets by asking them through the puppet.

What kind of paper bag puppet would you make?

Braiding Disc Friendship Bracelets

Young girls love (as in LOVE) friendship bracelets. There's something about picking out coloured threads and actually physically making a piece of jewellery that they can where that just keeps them coming back for more. Young ones will love the hands on, look-what-I-made! factor, while the older girls will be able to do what they do best - sit and chat - while they're braiding. Plus it keeps them entertained for a good while, and isn't that just what we all want?

After a few weeks of watching the younger girls struggle to plait their three little strands, or making clumsy looking knotted lengths, I decided to turn to the internet where I found this lovely tutorial for Braiding Disc Friendship Bracelets. The tutorial is very thorough with easy to follow instructions and lovely, clear pictures, as well as a video at the end. But I'll just do a recap for the link lazy :D

The Supplies:

• Sturdy cardboard (eg: cereal box)
• 7 lengths of  yarn, 30-50 cm each
• scissors

The How To:

1. Cut out a cardboard circle.
2. Cut 8 slits, spaced evenly around the outside of the circle, and a poke a hole (with the pointy end of the scissors is fine) in the centre.
   
3. Knot the yarn together and thread through the centre whole in the disc.
4. Set up the strings by slotting them into the little cuts you made earlier. There should be one left empty.

   
5. This is where the braiding process starts: With the empty slot at the top, count down clockwise to the third string.
6. Remove it from it's slot and press it into the one at the top.
7. Turn so that the new empty slot is at the top and repeat until desired length is reached.

 

After a while the top will start looking like this:

And coming out the other side is:

 

 Hints and Tips:

• You can use whatever kind of string/yarn/cord works for you. I've used satin cord I bought from the cheap shop for the photos here and it's looking pretty good if you want a length of rope. I've also had success with crochet cotton and embroidery floss.
• If the loose ends get tangled (which they inevitably will) hold the disc in one hand and pull the strings up and out of tangle one by one.
• Play around with the number of colours you use and the way you set them out to discover the different patterns you can make in your bracelet.

Enjoy!