Andrea Zimmer Art

Wildlife Puppet and Performance Project   Starting in January 2018, grades 5 and 7/8 welcomed me into their classrooms at Ripley Huron Community School. We talked about our local wildlife, then students painted sketches of their chosen regional animal. There was a wide variety of animals including mammals, birds, reptiles and rodents. Each workshop began with a demo. Students then constructed their rod puppets using newspaper, dowels, rope, tape and paper mache. Grade 7/8 Wildlife Painted Studies, and puppets in progress.   Here, students work together on a group challenge to move various items using a rubber band tied with individual strings. Grade 5 students made puppet faces constructed from paper plates, cups and recycled cardboard held together with strong paper mache. Everyone made there own eyes, then colour is being blocked in with glue and tissue paper. Paws on sticks are also being made at the same time. Love seeing all the indigenous animals they&

Wildlife Puppet and Performance Project   Check out these amazing rod puppets by Grade 5/6 students at Huron Heights Public School: foxes, huskies, wolves, rainbow trout and bass, turkey vultures, great blue herons, brown bat, badger and a fawn.  We discussed our local wild animals and natural habitat, then each week students worked on their rod puppets made from household and recycled materials: constructing the heads and bodies from plastic bottles and newspaper covering with coloured tissue, paper mache and paint making strong connections when attaching legs, tails and ears fringing and feathering details The choices they made when making their eyes really gave each of the puppets their own expression. Working in groups the students performed fun, informative vignettes bringing their puppets to life! This puppet making project in the schools is all wrapped up for the 2016/17 year but more to come in 2017/18. Bring an artist into your classroom.

Creative Rod Puppets With a yearlong theme of ancient cultures, this PA Day (no school) took us south to Mayan Art. Inspired by The Chocolate Tree: A Mayan Folktale students created colourful rod puppets; KukulKán: The Feathered Serpent and his twin brother Night Jaguar.   We read the story out loud then finished with a sampling of dark chili chocolate. (I had a non food back-up in case anyone could not try it.) Years ago I came across a post for an Upcycled dragon puppet from S unhats & Wellie Boot s. This style of puppet has become one of my faves. It is easily made from newspaper (I asked my local grocery store for their unused leftover flyers- works perfect!) tissue paper, sticks, glue and crafty odds & ends. I pre-assembled the head and body forms consisting of rolled up newspaper secured with masking tape. Each piece has a glued in wooden puppet rod. Students wrapped each newspaper ball with tissue paper, then fastened with glue and /or tape. The

Wildlife Puppet Build & Performance-- Artists in Education Ms. Keelan's class completed their animal puppets! Students worked in groups, to create and perform short skits that were performed for each other. Definitely entertaining!   After my time in the school was over, the students gathered fun facts about each of their animals, then wrote and created a whole class performance. Puppet play written and performed for school by Grade 5 students at Ripley- Huron Community School. Grade 5 Wildlife Puppet Play

I have been leading the puppet project in the schools. As part of the Wildlife Puppet Project, students choose a local wild animal to make. This completed fox puppet explores its surroundings.  The puppet heads are started with paper plates and cups, newspaper and tape.

Thanks to Ontario Arts Council: Artist in Education Grant, I am leading weekly classes in puppet making and performance for 2 months at local schools. Student are building puppets inspired by our regional Bruce County Wildlife. Grade 5/6 students at Huron Heights Public School started with seagull sock puppets. Ripley-Huron Community School: Baby Turkey Vulture paper bag puppets work in progress