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1 2 3 4 5 Finger Puppets by Kent Sheets There are all types of puppets that can be used to entertain children. You can make a puppet from a lunch bag, or spend lots of money for a full hand puppet. Visit a toy store or puppet dealer at the next convention to see the variety that exists. Just do an Internet search on puppets and you’ll find everything, from puppets for sale, to instructions on how to make your own puppet. One of my favorite puppets is a small animal finger puppet. You can find a puppet for almost any animal or insect. My favorite is a ladybug puppet. I also have used a bee puppet and a small butterfly puppet. Why these and not others? Other types of puppets will work, but I have used the ladybug puppet the most. It is a great walk-a-round prop. It is small, lightweight and fits in any pocket. I have found the small insect puppet inexpensive, usually under $10. The ladybug finger puppet is very easy to use. When entertaining groups of various ages, I use several walk-a-round props. I save the ladybug finger puppet for the very small children, especially those who are a bit hesitant to see the clown. The child’s curiosity draws them to check out the ladybug. As the pictures show, just insert your ring finger (Pic 1). Note: I am right-handed, so I place the finger puppet on my right hand. With the puppet on your finger facing up, turn your hand over, palm up (Pic 2). Next, bend the finger with the puppet on it into your upturned palm while keeping all the other fingers extended (Pic 3). Next move the finger with the puppet on it towards your arm, then back to its original position. Cover your right hand (puppet) with your left hand, cupping it as you do, making a small cave or hiding location for your ladybug (Pic 4). As you move both of your hands below the child’s eye level, move the ladybug in and out (Pic 5). Try it. With just a little practice, it’s easy to do. You can actually insert you finger into the puppet when it’s in your pocket. When you withdraw your hand from your pocket, have the puppet finger folded into the palm of your hand. This will hide the puppet. As you turn your hand over, you can cover the move with your other hand. It looks like you are keeping the ladybug from escaping. From a slight distance, I greet the child, ask how they are, and ask them if they have seen the large ladybugs that are in the area. As I extend my hands, I move the puppet back and forth, just showing the head, or front of the puppet. I ask if they would like to pet the ladybug. The young children almost always approach the clown to get a closer look at the ladybug. I stopped using the bee puppet because of the possibility that if a child approached a real bee, they might get stung. Have fun entertaining! Page 18 The New Calliope
Safety Through Clowning by Guy “Hector the Detector” Vander Wyst What ideas do you have for teaching children fire safety? This is the question that initiated my clowning career. It was asked by the new Appleton Fire Dept. public education officer who was hired in 1991. My answer was, “While in school, we attended assemblies. All I ever remembered was … blah, blah, blah, blah unless the guest had a specific or special talent while presenting his or her message to the students.” I then added, “Why don’t you try teaching fire safety to children through clowning?” The officer said, “Great idea … want to help?” So our task began! We found a book and a video about clowning, wrote a skit about fire safety procedure and practiced and presented the skit at an open house. At the fire department, we also had a “Name the Clowns” contest. My partner and I were to select our clown name from a list submitted by children. The child who submitted the name we selected would receive a bicycle donated by a local bike shop. After going through the list and eliminating names, “Hector the Detector” and “Cinders” were born! After this event, I felt that there had to be more to this “clowning thing.” So after much research, I found an educational opportunity being held in Clown Camp in La Crosse, WI. In 1992, my partner and I attended Clown Camp for a week and what an eyeopener! We learned so much about the art of clowning. We learned what our weaknesses were. We learned how to implement foam props in our skit, and ideas to revamp and improve our whole program. Now, we didn’t just use our clown character performances as entertainment. The skit was used as the final teaching tool in a packet given to all first and second grade teachers in the school district. We believed that by putting the packet together and offering it to the teachers, it would help make our program more successful. We all know how hard-pressed teachers can be for time, and to ask them to develop a quality fire safety program for their students could be difficult. The packet would give the teachers all the tools needed to teach fire safety to their students. The packet included a pre-test to see what the students knew about fire safety, a post-test to see what the students had learned, and subject packets which covered the fire safety lessons along with lesson plans. Teachers were asked to return the pretest and post-test results to us. These results were used to justify the cost of our fire safety clown program to the city administration. After the lesson plans the “bonus” part in the packet included a safety show by the fire safety clowns. As we all know, repetitive teaching promotes learning. The fire safety clowns’ performance would repeat and reinforce the fire safety lessons they learned in class. Also included in the packet was an evaluation form for the teachers to complete regarding the fire safety show. This feedback would help us improve our presentation and the effectiveness of our safety message. We received many positive comments, “Just right for this age group,” “Just the right amount of time,” “Wouldn’t change a thing” and more. This clown program was designed for fire safety, but it would also work for police departments and others. And you would not have to be a public servant to develop these safety programs. Clowns involved in presenting school programs, whether as a volunteer or professional, could incorporate safety messages with a clown’s character. We all know the importance of education. This is the reason our fire department became involved with the “Fire Safety Clown” venue. We as clowns are always reminded how important it is to continue our education. Since 1992, I have continued to attend schools and camps to update my knowledge and skills. I continue to use the excellent skills learned at Clown Camp in La Crosse. This has become so important to me that I became a co-director of an educational camp, California Clown Campin’. My co-director, a committee of five members and I believe so strongly in continuing education that we work all year to provide learning opportunities for interested people. In fact, California Clown Campin’ will be offering classes to develop safety programs this year. No matter when or how you choose to do it, it is important to strive to learn more. As always, HAPPY CLOWNING! ● ● ● September/October <strong>2013</strong> Page 19
Page 2 and 3: Order Your Additional 2014 COAI Cal
Page 4 and 5: Your COAI Officers EXECUTIVE COMMIT
Page 6 and 7: Page 6 The New Calliope
Page 8 and 9: 2014 Elections Are Just Around The
Page 10 and 11: WORKING WITH A PARTNER: SECRET SIGN
Page 12 and 13: Move Over Disney ... Move Over Univ
Page 14 and 15: Our Good Cheer List Please take a m
Page 16 and 17: Clowning With All Our Heart Aurora
Page 20 and 21: Clowning With A Message A Challenge
Page 22 and 23: Jacobson Florida State Veteran’s
Page 24 and 25: CLOWNS OF AMERICA INTERNATIONAL FOR
Page 26 and 27: clown week Tuesday, August 6, 2013,
Page 28 and 29: Look Who's Reading While vacationin
Page 30 and 31: Meet Clydene “Lil' Darlin” Dyer

SeptOct_2013

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