BY PRATIMA ACHREKAR
Puppet shows, and early form of entertainment, have always held our attention. The charm of following a storyline – mythological or otherwise – to the movements of a puppet is indescribable. So captivating is a puppet that a leading company uses a puppet to promote one of their many products – they were sure they would grab the attention of both the young and old.
Not seen so commonly now-a-days except for playschools or on some rare occasions on TV the world of puppetry deserves a new lease of life. And to serve just this purpose WEE Attitudes Centre for Excellence in Early Childhood Care and Education will hold a ‘Creation and Use of Puppets’ workshop on May 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Be - Attitudes, Bhatkar Waddo, Porvorim.
The appeal of puppets forms an ideal tool to educate while being entertaining. Little stuffed dolls with noddy little heads that pin the attention of the viewer with their fixed stare can easily be used by a parent or pre-school teacher, or even a social worker for that matter who deals with the masses, to pass on important trainings, lessons, messages and even help parents bond with their children over entertainment. The scope of puppetry is endless. It could even serve as a way of guiding a child’s creative energy while simultaneously unleashing possible talent or in language therapy for children.
Ms Nadisha Coelho, lecturer, Goa College of Home Science, will guide the group in using low cost or waste materials like toothpaste cartons, paper plates, socks, paper bags, string, used pens, sticks, etc, to make attractive and innovative puppets (dancing puppets, box puppets, head puppets, etc). She will also introduce the participants to different types of puppet theatres.
“Puppets unleash an imaginary world for the child. And to successfully create the right atmosphere - it should look original not artificial - it is important to make puppet that suit the character. It is also important to learn the rules of puppet theatre, for example, voice modulation, expression, etc,” enlightens Nadisha.
“This workshop will benefit pre-school teachers and parents to teach and reach out to their children, in schools and homes,, because puppets can play a vital role in understanding a concept better,” informs Ms Anna Coelho, director, WEE Attitudes, Centre for Excellence in Early Childhood Care and Education.
Classrooms can be boring. And so to entertain children and keep their enthusiasm from waning, puppetry theatre is worth trying because children don’t even realise that they being taught something. They don’t grow averse to leaning.
“It is for the first time that we are holding such a workshop in state. Previously we had conducted such workshops but they were not open to the public. Only the few institutes we held it at were involved. This time, however, we made it open for everyone,” states Ms Coelho.
Shedding further light on the workshop Nadisha says, “Pre-school teachers and parents would find buying readymade puppets an expensive proposition. It would better to prepare one and this where the workshop steps in,” informs Ms Coelho.
Holidays are the best time for pre-school teachers prepare for the forthcoming academic year and here is a beautiful opportunity for all pre-school teachers and parents.
(Those interested can contact Ms Anna Coelho - 9326128259 or 2410565 before May 25. Registration fee Rs 100)
