Animal hand puppets

I feel like I've been a puppet-making machine this fall.  In addition to the sensory finger puppets I made Little Lady for Christmas, I made Mini Me a set of animal hand puppets. 


I used the book Puppet Play by Diana Schoenbrun.  It is a great resource that details how to make 20 different hand puppets using things you already have around the house like washcloths, fabric scraps, buttons, and of course, old socks.  The directions are clear and the pictures and drawings are very helpful.  I actually made each of my puppets completely by hand - no machine sewing!  I could have done that, but I would get started on a puppet, get on a roll, and not even think about dragging out the machine.  A fun part for me was using some old embroidery floss that was mine when I was in elementary school.  That was back when making friendship bracelets was the cool thing to do and I still had all my floss neatly organized by color in a little plastic case, complete with some sample friendship bracelets and my name scrawled across the top of the case in my elementary handwriting!  Ah, memories. 


I think Mini Me and I will create some fun memories with these puppets, too:


The Frog:

This guy is made from some scrap green fabric, cardboard I snatched from the recycling bin, old buttons, and a few other things.  I think I should have made him smaller for Mini Me's hand, so we'll see how this one goes....


The Fish:

The fish is made from two old washcloths and other scrap fabric.  I didn't think about the placement of his eyes, but in the end our little fish looks a bit cross-eyed!  


The Elephant:

The elephant is made from some old socks, felt scraps, old cuff links for eyes, and some stuffing in his tusks. 


The Monkey (my personal favorite):

 It wasn't hard to make a sweet monkey with an old brown sock and some googly eyes!  


I didn't follow the directions in the book explicitly but it was a necessity for me to get the ideas and basic design.  These were fun and quick to make.  I can't wait to see how Mini Me will make the puppets come alive with his funny narratives and silly songs!