A bit about the Author… Lesley Keast joined The Granny Cloud team in October 2014 and rapidly became one of it’s most active members. And since March 2018 we have been happy to have her on the Core Team as well! In this blog post, Lesley shares a few quick tips [coming from her extensive experience] in using puppets to enhance the interaction in Granny sessions. Ed.
Over to Lesley!
To add a little variety and (an) extra personality to a session I sometimes bring in one of my puppets – the kids love them! So here are a few ideas you might like to try out. My puppets don’t speak (or at least only through me, in my ear) and they may only pop in for a few minutes, and not every session, but they really make an impact.
The team (below left to right – Twinkles and Owl). Twinkles has become such a legend at Korakati that even new children who come to sessions know his name!
Engaging the much younger children in a group My puppets often say particular hellos to the younger/new children to make them feel more relaxed, welcome and special. This can also be when a search is happening, or if one of the children is looking a little ‘lost’.
Features of the puppet The physical features of the puppet can be a really useful bridge to themes in a session e.g. colours using Twinkles’ arms – can you find these colours in the lab? Parts of the body using owl – and children show their e.g. ears, feet, eyes etc.
The puppet has a problem – can you help? One day Twinkles was really cold, so the children had to think of things that would help. Another day Twinkles’ monkey friend Orlando smelt ‘really bad’ and needed help, and the children had lots of ideas. By the end of the session he had washed his hair with shampoo, cleaned his body with soap, brushed his teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste, and been sprayed with perfume – he felt brand new and was so happy!
Adding a puppet to a game With a range of fruits and vegetables off ‘Skype’ screen I describe them and sometimes draw the shape of the item in the air with my fingers. When the children have got it right (they might need an extra clue or flash of the item) we ask Owl if she likes e.g. oranges – if she does she rubs her tummy, if not she shakes her head.
Introducing a context for a search Orlando (in picture with passport) lives in Spain with me but he’d like to visit India – how long will it take to fly there? Orlando loves bananas, but are they healthy? One day Orlando was itching really badly because he’d been bitten by a mosquito! Why do mosquito bites itch?
