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Day 3 on the 6/05/09 | Puppet Portal Project Hospital B
2011-10-10
Day 3 on the 6/05/09
Today started with six children ageing from 6 to 12 (4 boys and 2 girls) all though they where coming and going they all got to take part in making and performing.
This week I had made a shadow screen to introduce a new element to the show. The children really enjoyed seeing their puppets becoming shadows.
They drew different puppets which we cut out and then made bits of set to go with their puppet, such as hurdles for the horses and a race track for the cars. They made a wide range of puppets from penguins, horses, cars, mice and soccer players which they operated from behind the screen and in the set in front. They made beautiful puppets but I think they where a very shy bunch so instead of talking with the puppets they ran them round danced them and tried different types of puppets. No story emerged but it was a different dynamic, at first i was worried and so tried to get some stories started but then I realised that they where happy to just move about.
We linked up with Temple Street but unfortunately we had a sound problem which was a very minor problem that we figured out and fixed later in the link up. It was nice to see their puppets. Most of the children had gone by the time we had linked up so two of the remaining boys played a bit with the puppets to show the children in the other hospital the kind of thing we had been doing.
Then in the afternoon I worked with a boy that I will be working with most weeks, he is a very bubbly boy who is happy to do anything as long as it is sports related. So this week he drew a pitch on the screen and made Renaldo and another Manchester united character and they played a game. He really likes computers and the DVD from last week, so this week we started editing the footage together.
I then went into the playroom where there where 4 children to work with. Two of the boys where from the first session and they where alot more chatty and relaxed. We all made bird puppets. I recorded them playing instruments to go with the performance from the morning as it had been more movement then sound, we also had a mom on bells. They played with the birds and made beautiful shadows when they leaned against the screen. The girl that came in was one I worked with last week she was very tired so was happy to watch and do her own thing; she made a lovely snake with one of the girls who work in the playroom. While building the puppets it was lovely as two of the play specialists got involved by making their own puppets and performing with the children.
I am finding the smaller the group the more confident the children are. Its a real challenge to keep a group of very different aged children all going at the same time and I am finding the help from both the teachers and play specialist invaluable.
Next week I am hoping to expand the contained screen and have asked if it be possible to get two drip stands and a sheet as a screen I think the bigger the space the freer we can be.
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