Me, My Puppet...The World

To celebrate and share the learning from Ignite I've written a resource which is now available to download from the YSP website. 

You can read more about my approach to the Ignite residency and discover lots of ideas and top tips for puppet making and storytelling with young people...or any people for that matter - puppetry is for everyone! 

Follow this link to download 

Thank you to Janette Robinson and Emma Spencer at YSP for all their support in creating this resource. Also thanks to Hannah Webster for the wonderful photography. 

Be Curious about your environment...Be Inventive with puppet making and Be Together to share stories. 

Family workshop and Celebration event at YSP
Photo: Hannah Webster

To Crigglestone and beyond!

During March I worked with three primary schools all just a stones throw from each other: Mackie Hill J&I, West Bretton J&I and Dane Royd J & I School.
With each residency we made a variety of puppets and explored different ideas around connecting to our environment and each other.

Puppet making with natural materials at Mackie Hill J &I School 

 We gave our puppets special qualities and talents  

And made a gift for children at West Bretton with messages about how to care  for this nest of young chicks

At West Bretton J & I School we imagined what would happen if the sculptures came to life at YSP  and invented some brilliant puppets inspired by Yinka Shoibare FABRIC-ATION Exhibition 

Reception & Nursery Children at Dane Royd J &I School made bird puppets with found materials  and took them on  imaginative journeys to the moon, above the clouds, to Africa and all the way home! 

Families, Birds and Super-humans!

Hendal Primary School

I spent a week of the residency at Hendal Primary School in February, working with the whole school to make puppets exploring different aspects of our community and environment. From investigating our immediate outdoor environment with Foundation Stage to making Table top 'Super-human' puppets with Y 5 & 6, the week was full of imagination and invention. We also shared thoughts about our families with KS1 and made Bird puppets to look after the school with Y 3 & 4.