Dramatic Arts

Hungry Thing Puppet Show

This omnivorous puppet provides the focus for a language game.

Objectives

Children ages 4-5 can remember a sequence of shown objects Lang. IIB
Other children are able to guess an object from given descriptions, ask questions about objects using descriptors like color, size, shape, and where it is found, and they all can attend the puppet show.

Materials

Large bulky puppet with big mouth (can be made from large paper bag); simple household or school objects, e.g. pencil, bowl, hat, shoe, paper. One teacher works the "Hungry Thing" puppet while another teacher plays "straightman,” helping the Hungry Thing get the objects out of its mouth.

Procedures

1. The Hungry Thing comes out of the puppet theater and burps. It says it feels sick. The teacher suggests that maybe it has eaten something that has made it sick.

2. Have the children guess what the Thing has eaten by asking questions like, "What color is it? How big is it? Where is it found?" The Hungry Thing will give them clues and answer "yes" or "no" when the children guess.

3. Each time the children guess correctly, the puppet will bring up the object (about 5 or 6 objects altogether). Have children repeat name. Ask the kids to tell and show how the object is used. Ask them to tell you as many things as they can about each object. After this is done, the teacher should put the objects on a shelf out of sight.

4. When the puppet has brought up all of the objects, it thanks the children for making it feel better and leaves to go have dinner!

5. See if the children can remember, in order, the objects which the Hungry Thing produced.