Puppet Stories – Thrive After Three

Category: Puppet Stories

Moon Might Be Milk

Posted on June 2, 2016September 1, 2016 by mrsshaia

Lisa Shulman’s The Moon Might Be Milk is sadly out of print. But the story can still be used in puppet form if you can’t get your hands on a copy of the book!

You’ll need farm animals (or substitute for what you own):

Girl (named Rosie)
Cat
Hen
Butterfly
Dog
Mouse

Rosie asks each animal what the moon is made of and they each answer:

Cat = Milk
Hen = Egg
Butterfly = Sugar
Dog = Butter
Mouse = Flour

Rosie asks Grandma and she adds all of the answers to create a sugar cookie! The story can be used to discuss recipes or making predictions. I have an idea for a sequel (The Sun Might Be Cheese) and if I ever get it fleshed out enough I’ll post it. Until then, check out Mel’s Desk this week. She’s hosting Flannel Friday. Find out more about Flannel Friday at our website, see all the past ideas at our Pinterest, and hang out with us on Facebook.

Puppet Costume Story: Using You Can Do Anything, Daddy!

Posted on April 15, 2016September 1, 2016 by mrsshaia

I decided to make costumes for my pirate puppet so I can use it to go along with one of my favorite stories, You Can Do Anything, Daddy! by Michael Rex. This out-of-print story lives through my storytelling, and I’m always looking for ways to freshen it up so I don’t get bored with it myself. I decided to make a series of ponchos to fit over Pirate’s head. I used three 9 x 12 felt sheets: 1 dark brown for gorilla, 1 grey for robot, and 1 green for robot gorilla pirate. I cut a hole in the middle of the sheet that fits over Pirate’s head, then I used fabric paint to decorate the outfits. I can easily manipulate these outfits and place them on top of Pirate’s head while I use the book to read the story:

Here’s a video of the storytelling:

For other ways to tell my favorite story, check out this link. For more flannel ideas check out Mel’s Desk. She’s hosting Flannel Friday this week!

Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? Puppet Story

Posted on January 28, 2016April 1, 2016 by mrsshaia

Eve Bunting’s Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? is Seuss-esque and perfect for puppet storytelling! I used a cheat sheet Have You Seen My New Blue Socks, my puppet bin, and a puppet stand. The result is a lot of fun–and tons of rhyming! I only needed a few props that I found on clearance at Target (snowflake slippers and two pairs of socks: one purple and one blue). Here’s the story:

For more ideas to use in storytime, go to Flannel Friday. Check out the website, the Pinterest board, and the Facebook Group. This week’s roundup is over at Read, Rhyme and Sing!

Feathers for Lunch

Posted on May 16, 2014 by mrsshaia

I wanted to make Lois Ehlert’s Feathers for Lunch a more interactive story. I used stiffened felt sheets to use as the background for each bird. They measure 9 x 12″ each. I created each bird piecing together different colors of felt to create each masterpiece! I hot glued each bird to the white sheets and used black fabric paint to write each bird’s name. I got paint stick stirrers from the hardware store and hot glued one to each bird so they fly over my cat puppet. I made 12 to accompany the story. As I storytell, I’m going to pass out shakers or bells to the children so they can pretend to be the cat and scare away each bird. Can’t wait to use this one!

I found that masking tape sticks to the felt so I can use a cheat sheet on the back of each one to tell the story:

I number each piece in case they get out of order (which is inevitable!):

Some of my favorite librarians are hosting this week’s Flannel Friday blog hop over at Jbrary. Be sure to check out the roundup for more storytime ideas and to find out how you can participate!

Who Took the Cookies?

Posted on February 1, 2014May 4, 2014 by mrsshaia

Bonnie Lass’ version of Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? is a southwest party through the desert. Like Who Ate All the Cookie Dough, this story puts a new spin on the classic song.

Here’s a Who Took the Cookies craft. You can copy the pumpkin “cookie jar” on orange paper, then glue the animals to popsicle sticks to create a peek-a-boo craft.

If you’re thinking of storytelling with puppets, you’ll need:

Pumpkin “cookie jar” prop
skunk
mouse
raven
squirrel
rabbit
turtle
raccoon
snake
beaver
frog
ant

What’s your favorite rhyming story?

For more storytime ideas, check out Flannel Friday and this week’s Roundup.

Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?

Posted on January 15, 2014May 4, 2014 by mrsshaia

Karen Beaumont’s Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? is a new spin on the classic Who Stole the Cookies song. My flannel and puppet story collections are similar because I just love some of these stories so much, I make flannel pieces, then learn to tell it with puppets. My favorite piece is Mama Kangaroo (with the culprit, Joey!):

This new version features jungle animals, and it’s the perfect story to showcase your puppet skills. Here’s a list of animals you can use (of course, you can substitute for puppets you have in your collection):

Lion
Cheetah
Zebra
Hippo
Llama
Monkey
Kanga

I pair this story with a Kangaroo craft. You just need to score Mama’s pouch ahead of time, so Joey can pop in and out.

Here’s a video clip of the story:

For more storytime ideas, check out Kathryn’s Fun with Friends at Storytime. She’s hosting Flannel Friday this week!

The Perfect Gift

Posted on January 11, 2014January 11, 2014 by mrsshaia

Mary Newell Depalma’s The Perfect Gift emphasizes friendship. It’s a sweet story of friends pitching in and helping when needed the most. I like this story so much, I read the picture book, use flannel pieces to storytell, and recently added this to my puppet repertoire!

Here’s a video clip using my Puppet Bin and Puppet Stand:

What’s your favorite story of friendship?

For more storytime ideas check out Storytimes and More On the Go.

Little Beaver and the Echo

Posted on December 13, 2013January 26, 2015 by mrsshaia

Amy MacDonald’s Little Beaver and the Echo is a sweet story about friendship. After crying for a friend, he hears from across the pond that someone is also looking for a friend. He picks up pond creatures along the way and realizes that he does now have friends. I’ve made this into a flannel board to tell, and have recently added it to my puppet story collection.

I recently acquired a Puppet Stand for my storytelling. I’m still working out the kinks…take a peek:

Pouch!

Posted on November 2, 2013 by mrsshaia

You can make flannel pieces, or use puppets for this silly story. In David Ezra Stein’s story, Joey hops out of his mommy’s pouch for the first time. Of course, he’s very timid and doesn’t know anything. So when he meets a new friend, he puts his hands on his cheeks Home Alone style and shouts, “POUCH!” and hops back in. You only need to make four animals for this flannel: bee, rabbit, bird and kangaroo. I also love to tell this one with my puppets:

Here’s a cute craft to use: Kangaroo craft. You just need to score Mama’s pouch ahead of time, so Joey can pop in and out.