Six years ago I created the puppets for the Nativity story that are featured in the post below. It has been one of the most visited posts of the Past Times website since its existence.
Helene is the founder of Past Times and a crafter, archivist, and children’s book author. Her passion is bringing history to life for children, classrooms, and families through imagination and play.
Tricks and Techniques
Puppets for a cause
My most recent fun with silhouette (shadow) puppets has been using them as magnetic puppets. You can create a magnetic board by covering a metal sheet with thin paper and attach the puppets with magnetic
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Black history
Paul Robeson: athlete, actor, singer, activist
Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was a world famous athlete, actor, singer, and activist, who became known for both his cultural achievements as well as his political stances. In this post some information, as well as a
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Music and composers
Dancing with Beyoncé
Have you have been enjoying Beyoncé’s latest album Cowboy Carter and maybe even tried the viral dance moves to Texas Hold’em? Then you may enjoy making a silhouette puppet of Beyoncé and let her dance.
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Black history
Silhouette puppets for Black History month
Most of the puppets in the Black History section of our Printable Library are the result of shadow puppetry projects that I did during Black History month with my friend Davie-Lyn Jones, a fifth grade
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Family history
Make memories with family puppets during the holidays!
If you think that shadow puppets can only be used for shadow puppetry, you are wrong! Among the many puppets with patterns in our Printable Library I have used the puppets above not only in
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How to
Historical puppets for language arts
Many posts on this site have been about using silhouette puppets to engage with history by acting out stories. However, they can also be great for language arts, allowing students to interact with a historical
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Bible stories
Cardboard creche
In the weeks leading up to Christmas I have shown how to use corrugated cardboard for a Nativity display stand and stop motion films. In this post I am sharing instructions how to make a
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How to
Stop motion puppets for the holidays
Joseph and Mary marveling at the miracle of Mary’s pregnancy In 2020 I made patterns available to act out the Nativity story as a shadow play. This advent season I am sharing just a