Emma Fisher's blog

The last day on the puppet portal, we made baby turtles in expectance of the turning turtles show. Orla came down and made puppets and video ed the making. We started with two children but in the end we had seven. After we had made the turtles the children made one of the tables into turtle island, they drew pam trees, sand and other island creatures.

I moved to friday this week, are theme was fire but when i went in i found out that the school was doing a project on irish aid and hunger so we combined the two, the sun was the fire and we also had a horse called fire with fire feather hair. It was my smallest group so far with two children, a third came in at the end but for a few minutes.

Today we where air, we made astronauts, birds and alien marrionetes.and created a galaxy, it was a very busy and full morning and when we linked up the children hadnt been playing with there puppets for long they where a bit shy. We had just done an anti gravity dance which was great and the children did show off there puppets and watched what beaumont had done which they really enjoyed after that all but one girl had gone for lunch she was about to show beaumont around when the screen froze on our show but beumonts hadnt not sure what happened there. But was a good morning.

Are theme was water. The children drew a under water scene on the table, whats really nice is that the earth scene from last week was left on the table, so  we have one table next week. We set up the overhead projector and the children made both shadow and hand puppets. One of the children operated the waves and fish shadows, while three of the children operated there hand puppets around the table they where so funny. One of the older boys filmed it there is about half an hour photage, and another boy took photographs.

We decided that for the next four weeks we would each have an element. My Element today was Earth.We took a different meaning this week and made a planet earth but an alternative one.

Todays theme was halloween. There was a small group of 5 children. We made pumpkin people, goasts,spiders,bats and skelatons, the children loved making and lots of puppets where made, they agreed to leave some for the classroom.

We where about to link on to ait eile but something wasnt working and we couldnt fix it so we went on with the videoing, the children where abit disapointed. We went on to play with the puppets and we ended up in the land of the lost strange people where met there,and a big spider tried to eat everyone.

Today there where 5 boys who aged from 5 to 12, they where  a very inventive group. They created some new and exciting puppets there where spiders with about thirty legs and 4 heads, there where cannon launchers and lots of other fun things. one boy suggested making a giant spider so when all the little puppets where made we used sticks and made a giant spider and a hessian web.

Wednesday was market day, wow this term is really flying by. I once again had a big group, i had one girl who had made puppets last week and so became my assistant as it where. The other children would ask her advice, and if any of the children had to leave the session when they came back she would help them get up to speed. All the puppets where first made and then we set about to make the stalls, there was a ribbon stall, a cafe, a toy shop,a fish shop that specialised in nemo's, a gewerlery shop and a food stand.

Today going on the theme of transport we made cars,planes and boats out of card.then we made lip synk puppets. There was alot of coming and going in the classroom but it varied between having 8 to 1 and back again. we tried to link up but there was something wrong with the link so we watched beaumont and then the kids went for lunch. The fishing boat was a big hit and all the puppets cruised around in it it.

Wednesday was the first day back after the summer. As organised with the others we all did a theme of Neighbours. There where 8 children in my morning session. The eldest a boy of 14 was very interested and after i had shown him to make a puppet he proceeded to show three of the yougher boys,this was such a great help as it was a big group and also the other boys look up to him ,so it made them feel free to enjoy and play with out having to impress since this is what he was doing. There was also a 14 year old girl in the session who was very suppostive to the other children.