[Suzanne Down, Waldorf early childhood educator, master puppeteer and director of Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts shares the following information in her spring/summer newsletter. You can contact Suzanne at PO Box 1688 Port Angeles WA 98362 ; 888-688-7333 (toll free) or suzanne@junipertreepuppetscom or www.junipertreepuppets.com]
May has arrived on Vancouver Island, bursting with rhododendron blossoms! Flowers last forever here because it doesn't get too hot. It is a beautiful spring location. Since the last newsletter I have journeyed with puppetry to many places. What speaks to me the loudest is the puppet fun each region brings out: Arizona story and puppet creation brought out coyote, fox, and cactus filled desert stories. Florida inspired dolphins leaping over clear blue waves. California had daff-o-down dilly coming to town!
No matter where we live we find wonders in the nature around us that we can bring in story form for our children. When we ensoul our fox as his colorful tail paints the sunset sky, the children will forever wonder at each and every sunset they see. Thank you all for sharing your sense of place with me!
What is it for a child to grow up in a desert landscape full of cactus, roadrunners and burrowing owls? How does this differ in the forming of a child who walks among alligators, huge soft shell sea turtles, and manatee? We want to support the young child with stories of their natural environment. Observe how these regional animals are formed and notice how this form gives them their movement. We want to capture this in our puppet making and presentation.
Here are a couple of summer poems to help capture the essence of animals for puppet/story presentation in your lap theater.
Butterfly:
Lying in the summer grass
The lazy days so quickly pass.
I watch the bugs and slugs and flowers,
Often it seems for hours and hours.
Once the sunshine made me wink,
And in the quickness of a blink,
A flower rose into the sky!
Oh my, thought I, a butterfly.
It flapped it's gentle angel wings
And danced as fairies in their rings.
Then like a feather gently fell
Into a tulip's nectar well.
Theater ideas:
For a lap theater presentation of this poem with a butterfly finger puppet, use a delicate pastel rainbow silk on your lap as a wonderful flower garden landscape. Use the air and space for the butterfly fairy dance ... it moves lighter than air! Don't be afraid to move your own arm and body subtly and magically to give the sense of moving through the sky. Observe butterflies (and fairies) to capture the essence of their beauty in gesture. Remember, too jerky and fast will break the magic mood and is hard for children's senses to keep up with. Catch their butterfly lightness instead and move them delicately. With your free hand under the garden silk, create a tulip well for the butterfly to go into, hover on, then fly away and disappear to end this piece.
Turtle:
Turtle moves so very slow.
He peers into the sea below.
Splash! He dives and swims so free.
But now and then he peeks at me ...
Now and then he peeks at me.
Theater Ideas
I love to use a veil of silk over my free arm for this one. A see-through turquoise is nice. The turtle is hidden at first, then slowly appears and walks along my arm's turquoise water stage, slowly, maybe peering out at the children, slowly. Then he leans over and peers into the water, slowly ... Splash! He dives in and is behind the veil of see-through silk, so he is very visible, but mysterious, in the water. Suddenly he can move with grace and flow, free in the water element. The see-through veil provides another surprise for the children. Let your stages create wonder for you. After he swims up to peer at me, I have him crawl out and go home the way he came on, slowly ... and disappear behind the palm of the veil covered hand, slowly ... the contrast of weight and freedom should be visible.
www.folkmanis.com has some wonderful finger puppets ... especially their butterfly and turtle.
These poems and theater ideas come from my puppet resource book - 'Around the World With Finger Puppet Animals' - It has many animal poems, presentation ideas, and finger puppet patterns ... you may order it to be mailed to you for $22.95 plus $4.95 s&h. email or call me if you are interested.
Upcoming Events
I will be giving workshops in the following areas:
Toronto May 13-14, 2005
Vancouver May 28, 2005
Seattle June 18-19, 2005
And on June 25-26, 2005 -Vancouver Island Therapeutic Puppetry Conference with Adola McWilliams on the 'Curative Clock '- the 12 poles of human condition influenced by the zodiac and therapeutic puppetry indications.
The rest of the summer is devoted to the new 3 year part time summer Certificate Puppetry Training courses beginning in 3 new locations in New Hampshire and California. For detailed information and application contact me ... If you are considering applying let me know soon, I will get the info to you! Numbers are limited!
Future Dreaming: collaborations with therapists.
April 1, 2nd 2006 - Sacramento CA.
2nd annual 'In Changing Times' -West Coast Therapeutic Early Childhood Educator's Conference - focus on the healing wisdom of Briar Rose and the 12 Virtues ... going deeply into the therapeutic fairy tale wisdom and how it can meet the needs of children of the 21st century.
June 26-30 2006 - Pacific North West - Introduction to Therapeutic Early Childhood Education - a week intensive course. Theme - The Therapeutic Wisdom of Nursery Rhyme for Circle and Puppetry - Movement, Speech, and Gesture
*******
If your community would like a puppet workshop, early childhood puppet show, or family storytelling workshop let me know. I can create events catered to your interests.
*******
Summer Puppetry
Time for outdoor stages around roots of a big tree or in a flower garden. I love the Ojibwa story called "The Girl with the Golden Hair" ... It is about dandelions, and I do this sitting amongst dandelions and they become the characters ... nature puppets!
Once upon a time there was a great South Wind called Shawondasee. Oh how sleepy he became in the warm sun! The lazy wind liked to rest in the shade of a big tree in the middle of a meadow. He loved to watch the flowers there and smell their perfume. One morning the sleepy eyed wind opened his eyes and saw a beautiful girl in the distance. Her golden hair shone like the sun. Each morning he looked for her, and she became more beautiful every day.
But one morning he looked and looked but could not find her. In her place stood an old woman with gray hair. The South Wind thought the North wind had touched his golden girl with his icy hand. Shawondasee became so sad he gave a mighty sigh ... whooooosh!!!....it blew all the old woman's hair away! His golden girl was gone!
Time passed and one day Shawondasee blew through his favorite meadow. Much to his delight and surprise, there were many girls with golden hair, and they were all nodding to him in greeting. Shawondasee smiled. At last his golden girl was back.
Children love to sit in a meadow and hear this story ... last year I had a program in a park, and I told this story ... they went all around the park re-telling this story again and again, and especially liked to blow the puff balls. Wonderful outdoor puppet play!
This story can be found in my 'Spring Tales' collection of seasonal stories and poems. There are poems and other stories that are suitable for summer as well. You may order this resource book for $10.95 plus $4.95 s&h ...
Another of my favorite summer stories is Pelle's New Suit by Elsa Beskow. Makes a great puppet play!
Other Puppetry Resources:
1. Mama Bird and Baby Birds in a Nest Finger Puppet Kit. $14.95 plus s&h
2. Grandma's Garden Finger Puppet Kit. $7.50 plus s&h
3. Mother Earth Wool Roving Finger Puppet Kit - Felting Needle Magic. $9.95 plus s&h
4. Summer Merriment Fairy Finger Puppet Kit. $7.50 plus s&h
'Laughing Laughing laughing laughing
Comes the summer over the hill.
Over the hill comes the summer
Ha ha ha
Laughing over the hill ... '
The jolly finger puppet fairy accompanies this poem - with bells on!
Wool Bags
My wonderful border leicester farm wool roving is the best for needle felting projects - it is available in an abundance of deep rich colors dyed created at North-Lands Tundra Plant Dye Company. Large bags of many colors $15. Natural wool large bags $10. I use it for my wet felting projects as well ... it has wonderful texture. Please allow time to receive orders. With my busy traveling schedule expect 4-6 weeks ... if you are lucky I will be in town and will get it off to you right away!
--Suzanne Down
