Teacher's Notes for

Out of the Bag

Be prepared:
Teachers have said they wished they had been told; that to make the puppet made during the show
they would need
2 paper plates for each student, (NOT PLASTIC) but any size, the cheaper and thinner the better, 
and access to scissors and staplers, as many as you can muster. 

The performer does tell the students to make the puppets themselves at home but it is a great after show activity and seeing them made during the show is all the direction you'll need.  There are also three of them left at the school for reference.

For those who what to make a puppet before the performance or a different one after the performance:-
this glove puppet head is very easy to make and the mouth (for that is all this puppet really is, a mouth) works very well.
You'll need:-
a square piece of paper say about 20 to 30cms.
Sticky tape
Pencil or Felt marker
(Optional) an old sock with the toe end cut off.

Fold each of the four corners into the centre (1).
Turn it over and fold the four corners into the centre again (2).
Now it is just a matter of putting your fingers into the back (3 & 4).
You can fold the bottom two triangles of paper in, to make a more beak like look (5).
Sticky tape inside the mouth to keep the two sides together (5).
Draw on some eyes and eye brows.
Draw on some lips if you wish.

The Sock Option.
You can attach the sock to the face which will cover the puppeteer's arm.  NB.  Most socks will be tight enough to stay on the arm without even being attached to the face.

Once each student has their puppet it's time to discover the character of each puppet.
Get the students into groups of two, three or four and get the puppets talking to each other.  Get the students to look at their puppet, not the puppet or puppeteer they are talking to.  The reason they look at their own puppet is to make sure that it is looking at the puppet or person that it is talking to.  Another reason for the puppeteer to look at their puppet is that if they are looking at their puppet the audience's attention will be drawn to the puppet and not to the puppeteer's face. 

Next thing to discover is who or what your puppet is?  Is it male or female?  Is it human, animal or maybe from another planet?  Does it move quickly or slowly?  Are it's movements jerky or flowing?  Does it speak English or another language or just make animal sounds?
Happy puppeteering.

AESOP

The story of the Lion and the Mouse is an adaptation of an Aesop's fable. Aesop is credited with writing over a hundred stories, many about animals and all with a moral.  Read other Aesop stories and decide what your class think the moral of the story is.    http://www.aesopfables.com/  

The moral to the Lion and the Mouse story is 'we all need friends'.  The Lion and the mouse were not friends from the moment they met.  When did they become friends?  Which one learnt the valve of friendship and how? 

Were the Wacky Wizard and Frog friends?  If so what were the things in the story that showed the two were friends.  If not what were the things that showed they were not friends. 

Get the class to tell their own story of true friends.  Each student gets to say five words only of the story.
Before starting explain to the class that the story must have some friends,  they must be some where or doing something, something should happen and the friend or friends should solve the problem.

Start by just asking what sort of problems they might encounter:- could Robyn's dog run away, could someone climb a tree and be to scared to climb back down,  might they be chased up a tree by a big dog or a huge lion.  Get some ideas as to how each problem might be solved as each problem is suggested.

Once you are ready, start the story yourself (remember only five words - count them on your fingers - definitely no more) 

It was a lovely sunny ..... (next person)    Tell enough stories for everyone to get a go.