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Weather is a daily phenomenon and fits perfectly into a routine. Observing the weather is a simple activity that can…
The Method-Based PuppetâIs It Really Effective? The method-based puppetâhonestly, itâs not my favorite. Both the execution and the idea often…
In every group, you encounter children who stand out due to their behavior, their language, or because they are quiet…
My hand puppet makes me sleep better, that may sound like a urban legend, but it really is. As a teacher, I sometimes had sleepless nights because some children kept me busy.
Sometimes, despite our best intentions, the puppet might get sidelined when things donât go as planned. But remember, itâs all about picking it back up
When I first began working with a puppet, I thought it was a technical skill I needed to master. I was eager to learn it, hoping it would allow me to enter the world of a particular child I had in mind.
Puppets as Fantastic Bridge-Builders Puppets are excellent bridge-builders for children who struggle to express themselves and/or have little trust in adults. This makes puppets a particularly appealing tool when you…
Using a hand puppet for child development has invaluable value. It goes beyond language development; it also has positive effects on social-emotional development and increases childrenâs independence.
My puppet JaNee had her own blog for years. We started it during an economic crisis when I was fed…
The holidays are a magical time, but they can also be overwhelming for children. Big changes, lots of people, and new impressions… It can all feel like too much, especially…
It often flops out before youâve really thought about it. A child asks your puppet, âDo you have a mommy and a daddy?â and before you know it, youâve said YES and introduced yourself as your puppetâs mother (or father).
Ten years ago, I wrote a book about my findings and my way of working with a hand puppet: âThe Hand Puppet as an Educational Tool.â This week, the English translation of the book came out. Good things should be shared, and working with a hand puppet in the classroom is such a good thing.
A Dutch Tradition: Sinterklaas As you may know, Iâm Dutch, and in the Netherlands, we have a tradition similar to…
I absolutely love the Living Puppets brand and their Monster to Go series. This is one of those puppets I…
Hand puppets are a versatile tool in education, theater, and counseling, such as with children. They come in various shapes…
I’m fond of the armrod puppets from Melissa and Doug and own as many as four. I got to know…
How do you get from A to B? This question is fundamentally what much of education revolves around. Some tasks…
When what was always there is no longer there, when you are away from an environment where people expect things from you and/or you survive by adapting, you come to ask yourself, âWhat do I want?â
Of all the critters I encounter in Bonaire, the scorpion is the one that, in the negative sense, elicits the most reaction from me. I cannot look at the beast without making a sound or jumping up. A scorpion immediately puts me on edge and always produces the same thought: it has to go. NOW!
We’re at a campsite. Did you know we used to live in a park in the Netherlands? In a park…
Today we’re in Sweden, yes. Do you know why? Back when we lived in the Netherlands, we lived near an…
We visited Amsterdam today. Yes, that is the capital of the Netherlands, look, itâs right there. Amsterdam has many canals;…