Are you interested in Greek mythology? Are you stuck at home and looking for some different screen time with your own animations? With shadow puppets and a home-made screen you can turn Daphne into a
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.
Greek mythology
Making a pot-shaped screen
One of my most-read blog posts is about using an overhead projector for shadow puppetry, which is full of fun tricks that may be used when teaching Greek myths in the classroom. But you don’t
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How to
How to make puppet rods with duct or painters tape
In this instructional video I am showing you how to make a silhouette or shadow puppet using a cheap and sturdy alternative for rods that are attached to the puppets with velcro. The instructions are
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Music and composers
Animate Peter and the Wolf at home with silhouette puppets!
Are you and your children stuck at home and looking for a creative project? With so many families staying indoors under self-isolation, I know many parents are looking for fun and educational activities to keep
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Black history
The story of Henry “Box” Brown
An earlier version was published on March 23, 2019 On March 23, 1849, months after his wife and children were sold to a new owner, Henry Brown escaped slavery in Richmond, Virginia in a wooden
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Tricks and Techniques
Riding a horse and wagon
If you want to act out stories from the Underground Railroad or other stories in which puppets need transportation, you may want to use a horse and wagon. In our printable library you will find
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Dutch heritage
Dutch “Speculaas” (spice cookies)
Speculaas and Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) December 5th is one of the most treasured days in the Netherlands, the day that Dutch children get gifts from the red-robed and white-bearded Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas), who arrives from
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Dutch heritage
Skates, Dutch hats, and wooden shoes
Many Americans think that winters in the Netherlands are very cold, and therefore the Dutch do a lot of skating. Maybe famous 17th century paintings like the one above, created during a little “Ice Age”
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Family history
How to make shadow puppets of children using profile silhouettes
As I already wrote in an earlier tutorial, making shadow puppets of family members can be a fun cross-generational activity, keeping children busy during family gatherings with a simple desk-top shadow theater. In this tutorial