Meet my new friend from the puppet-making workshop at the Community-Word Project Teaching Artist retreat.
I love getting to step into students’ shoes, play and create. Being in community with other artists and educators is a joy, and I always leave these sessions bursting with new ideas to build on my teaching practice. It’s also a wonderful reminder of just how valuable play is as an educational (and inspirational!) tool.
Sitting on the floor, getting giddy, using our hands and imaginations to make something new. So fun. And therapeutic. The world (and worries about the world) drift away for a while, and a new character comes to life! And that’s for me as an adult!
Puppet characters like Nico aren’t just fun, crafty toys. They can help students tell stories about-and understand-the world around them and process challenging emotions. So many social-emotional learning skills are unlocked. They can be especially powerful access points in classrooms with neurodiverse and multilingual learners. And in the process of learning through play, students get to practice sustainability, breathing new life into trash and transforming it into something special.
Thanks to Wendy Mock for letting me raid her 📦 for the perfect subway-shaped packing paper. Now we have to make some friends for Nico to hang out with at home!
Thanks to Community-Word’s amazing puppet-making facilitators Emma and Adrianna for the chance to be playful and try something new 🙏
Now go play!
– Teaching Artist Ruben Sack
