Project#19 Shadow puppets

..creating a shadow puppet show using silhouette cut-outs.

What you will need:
*1 sheet of black Bristol board
*coloured pencil, scissors, xacto knife, cutting board, masking tape
*scrap sticks
*white sheet and some thumb tacks
*a bright lamp

step one:
..take the black Bristol board and take the coloured pencil to draw your creature – cut out your image and ask an adult to cut out the small details with an exacto knife
step two:
..take the scrap wood and tape it to the back of your cut out.
step three:
..take a white sheet and either pin it between the door way or between two chairs.  Make sure it’s dark and shine a bright light on the back of the sheet and  the puppet show may begin – have fun!

Comments

[Meredith]

Hi - I sell shadow puppets through my etsy shop (www.orangemoontoys.com), and I'm so glad to see shadow puppets getting some deserved attention! I thought I'd add some extra ideas:

I highly recommend using the high efficiency flourescent bulbs if you add a clamp light behind you - they produce far less heat than standard bulbs. If you don't have a moveable light source, just tack up the "screen" in a doorway and turn out the lights in front and turn on the lights behind you.

You can make joints by connecting separate pieces with brads, and colored parts by covering open spaces with cellophane.

Experiment with different materials to see what kind of shadows they cast - maybe you want to make a transluscent ghost? Or a fancy dress from a doily?

If you don't want your sticks to show, add a tab of paper on the back to attatch your stick so that it comes out away from the screen. Use fishing line for "flying" puppets like planes, birds, or clouds.

On a bright day, it's fun to hang your sheet outside and cast shadows onto it so that you can see them yourself!

[amy]

We must be on the same wave length! We did this this morning too!
http://doobleh-vay.blogspot.com/2008/05/can-you-look-out-windowwithout-your.html
I love yr black ones!

[Shea]

So great. Cant wait to do this. I love your blog so much - its very special.

[garance]

i like it! it's beautiful

[Ally]

Wow, I'm glad I discovered this article. This is something I've never thought of and it is so cool. The possibilities are just endless.

Ally @ babygiftsandshowers.com

[Zoe]

I love shadow puppet plays! I used to play gamelan when I lived in london and got to see some wonderful shows as a result. Now we're going to try to reproduce something like this (I have a slenthem here at home to provide the musical accompaniment!) and have linked back to this lovely project from
http://www.playingbythebook.net/2009/12/16/fantastic-fiction-for-kids-theatres/
Thanks for the inspiration :-)