Open the Book website resources
Using Puppets
Children respond well to variety in presentation, and using puppets on occasion for
your Open the Book story will certainly add impact. Puppets have a particular appeal
for an audience and hold the attention very easily.
While we sometimes provide an alternative puppet script for a specific story, almost
all of the stories in the Lion Storyteller Bible lend themselves to being presented with
puppets taking on the roles. So if you feel your presentation has got into a rut, think
about puppets – there is a wide range of possibilities.
Large puppets
These puppets tend to have a large face with a moveable mouth and sometimes a
rod to control the hands. The pattern for these was obtained from One Way UK
www.onewayuk.com (see Puppet Providers section below)
Abraham and Sarah for
Story 5.God’s friend.

King Solomon for
Story 14. The Wise King
Large puppets with “personality” have many advantages.
 They fit with the scale of a school hall and can be seen by pupils at the
back.
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copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
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 You can walk around with them and make bigger gestures.
 You can be closer to the audience.
 A change of costume will make them useful for several stories

They are challenging to make or initially expensive to buy (ranging between
£20 and £50 each) but they will see lots of use over the years.

For a list of providers of patterns and puppets see Puppet Providers section
below.

It is possible to adapt the puppets you may already have or those purchased
to be more suitable for OtB stories by simple additions of clothes and
headpieces or wigs – a striped tunic and keffiyah will transform a “Granddad
Joe” puppet into Abraham.

Keep an eye out in charity shops and nearly new sales, or look on eBay for
second hand puppets to keep costs down.

Before buying your own, check whether any churches or youth ministries in
your locality have perhaps already purchased puppets which you might be
able to use on occasions.

Puppets are also a good resource to share across a number of Open the
Book teams
Sock puppets
e.g. for the snake in Story 3. “A Sad Day”
Materials
Copyright ©The British and Foreign Bible Society 2014
All our material, including that on our website, is protected by UK and international
copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
used for Open the Book assemblies/acts of collective worship. Unauthorised use of
our material is prohibited, including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution
or republication, and may not be used without prior written consent from Bible
Society.
Open the Book website resources

A large knee-length sock such as a hockey or football sock

Two large buttons for eyes

Felt cut into the shape of a forked tongue (and for eyes if you prefer)
Method

Put your fingers in the toe of the sock – this is where the eyes go. Your
thumb goes in the heel, thus making the snake’s mouth with the tongue
sticking out.

Sew the eyes and tongue in the appropriate places at the foot of the sock
to make the snake’s face, making sure you only sew through one layer of
the sock so that your hand can still get inside the sock!

If you prefer, attach the pieces using an instant “no-sew” fabric glue such
as Copydex (available at stationers like Rymans’)

To make a dull brown sock more striking, glue on (again with a
multipurpose glue such as Copydex) wavy strips of green material. Glue a
piece of shaped green material on the sole of the sock for the inside of the
mouth

Wear the sock all the way up your arm, with your fingers in the “head”
section, and wave your hand and arm sinuously around in a snake like
fashion.
HINT: If you find your hand is not big enough to comfortably stretch thumb to
sock heel and fingers to sock toe, then lightly pad the toe end.
Small puppets
These were originally used as Naaman and the
servant girl in the later years of Open the Book
but can be adapted for other roles, for example,
the man as Nehemiah (Story 17: Time to Build)
or the woman in Story 25 : A Lost Coin
Copyright ©The British and Foreign Bible Society 2014
All our material, including that on our website, is protected by UK and international
copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
used for Open the Book assemblies/acts of collective worship. Unauthorised use of
our material is prohibited, including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution
or republication, and may not be used without prior written consent from Bible
Society.
Open the Book website resources
Construction of small hand puppets
Materials

1 flesh-coloured stocking or one leg of a pair of tights.

1 cardboard tube the size of toilet roll tube but preferably of stronger
cardboard. (Note that the one shown above was too thin and has not kept its
tube-shape over time)

Cotton wool or other padding.

Odd pieces of fabric for the robe.

Small pieces of felt for hair, hands etc.

Small quantity of glue – any strong paper glue (PVA) or multipurpose glue
(like Copydex.)

(Optional) pair of movable eyes obtainable from craft shops.
Construction

Pad firmly the toe of the stocking to form the head.

Insert the cardboard tube half way into the head inside the padding.
Copyright ©The British and Foreign Bible Society 2014
All our material, including that on our website, is protected by UK and international
copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
used for Open the Book assemblies/acts of collective worship. Unauthorised use of
our material is prohibited, including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution
or republication, and may not be used without prior written consent from Bible
Society.
Open the Book website resources

Check it is the right length for your index finger to fit into it to hold the head
upright comfortably. Adjust the length of the tube if necessary.

Pull the end of the stocking down over the outside of the protruding end of the
tube.

Cut off excess of the stocking about 10 - 12 cms below the end of the
cardboard tube (or the length of the tube plus 3-5 cms).

Put a very little glue on the inside of the tube.

Tie a knot in the raw edge of the stocking.

Carefully push the tied end of the stocking up inside the tube and hold it in
place until the glue has stuck the stocking end to the inside of the cardboard
tube. This will ensure the padding does not come out of the head

Make the robe. Note that the sleeves are wide and set nearer the neck. This
is so you can operate the puppet with one finger in the neck, another finger in
a sleeve and a thumb in the other sleeve.

Draw up the neck of the robe so it fits securely on the puppet head and add
an elastic band for extra security. Alternatively use Velcro to secure the robe
onto the head.

Add features, hair and hands with pieces of felt.

If you prefer moving eyes then follow their instructions on fixing to the puppet.
Wooden spoon puppets
These are easy to make and are useful for background characters such as the crowd
in Story 28 : Jesus and the taxman or Story 25 :A Lost Coin.
Materials

Wooden spoon.

Pieces of felt and material.

Glue.
Copyright ©The British and Foreign Bible Society 2014
All our material, including that on our website, is protected by UK and international
copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
used for Open the Book assemblies/acts of collective worship. Unauthorised use of
our material is prohibited, including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution
or republication, and may not be used without prior written consent from Bible
Society.
Open the Book website resources
Construction

Glue on pieces of felt for the face.

Make the head-dress and robe all-in-one so they can be glued around the
head and to the neck of the spoon and hang freely in the front.
Animal puppets
There is a great range of simple animal hand puppet available commercially (such
as lions, sheep, camels or frogs) which would be a great addition to a story using
adult storytellers in role, where you might otherwise have used animal masks.
Screens and Staging
You can present the puppets with or without a stage or screen.

Being able to walk around with the puppet on your arm gives greater active
possibilities (such as Abraham and Sarah going off on their long journey)
while a screen focuses attention on the puppets rather than the adult.

A screen can be as simple as a cloth or curtain draped over a washing line or
clothes airer. One OtB group uses the school piano as a screen.

Commercial screens can be bought which are based on a number of tripods
with poles between – very effective but quite a substantial investment. Again
check you are not duplicating something a church or group already owns. This
can also be a useful item to share across a number of Open the Book teams.
www.oneway.co.uk (see below) supplies these types of screens, while the
website of ”no strings attached” (http://homepages.ntlworld.com/neil.burley )
describes how to make your own using PVC piping.

Whether you use a screen or not, don’t feel you need to learn all the words. A
screen provides a perfect place to pin up the story text. If you are walking
around with the puppet on your arm, short “crib notes” can be pinned to its
back.
Copyright ©The British and Foreign Bible Society 2014
All our material, including that on our website, is protected by UK and international
copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
used for Open the Book assemblies/acts of collective worship. Unauthorised use of
our material is prohibited, including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution
or republication, and may not be used without prior written consent from Bible
Society.
Open the Book website resources
Hints on how to use puppets
Initially you might feel a bit silly or self conscious, but a bit of practice will help. See
the puppet as an extension of the roles you normally take on for Open the Book,
rather than a ventriloquist’s dummy requiring a funny voice. This is still a Bible Story,
not a “puppet show”.

Children respond better to puppets if they always see them in “role”, rather
than lying limp on your arm, or dumped on a table.

Eye contact between puppet characters and out toward the audience is
extremely important.

Puppets don’t have to move all the time – constant gestures can become a bit
manic. Keep it simple.

Allow the puppet movements, especially the head and eyes to mimic what you
would do as a performer – e.g., quick glances back and forth express
concern, double takes back and forth express surprise, looking at the ceiling
or away from the action shows “I’m trying to ignore you”.

A dropping head expresses sadness and slow movements express
depression or sleepiness while a head firmly held up conveys stubbornness.

Even when not talking, keep the puppet looking alive by small head and upper
body movements such as listening

It’s not necessary that the puppets talk – you could simply mime while the
narrator reads the story

Lip sync can be difficult initially, although with glove puppets it’s not as crucial.
Because the mouth on character puppets is so big, it’s worth putting a bit of
effort into getting it right (practice in front of a mirror!) It really will help the
children believe in the character.

The mouth opens on the vowels and closes on the consonants or to put it
another way the mouth opens and shuts once for each syllable.

A slightly open mouth looks more friendly and relaxed – keep the tightly shut
jaws to show anger.
Copyright ©The British and Foreign Bible Society 2014
All our material, including that on our website, is protected by UK and international
copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
used for Open the Book assemblies/acts of collective worship. Unauthorised use of
our material is prohibited, including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution
or republication, and may not be used without prior written consent from Bible
Society.
Open the Book website resources
Puppet providers
Here are links to a number of commercial providers
One Way UK www.onewayuk.com A Christian supplier
of puppets and training materials, newsletters, teaching
and round the UK, puppet training workshops and
festivals. They sell a range of character puppets, including
camels, lions and donkeys and tripod screens, as well as
patterns for making puppets
Puppets by post www.puppetsbypost.com.This UK based site has a large range of
puppets including specific Biblical characters such as Mary. They have some brilliant
animal glove puppets such as sheep which are reasonably priced.
Puppet people www.puppetpeople.co.uk offer a simple puppet theatre as well as a
range of adaptable puppets
Time to Sow www.timetosow.com has a range of Biblical characters such as David,
as well as a generic male and female Biblical puppet, Also camels and donkeys.
Very usefully, they also offer kits to adapt different sized puppets to become Biblical
characters (e.g. beards, headdresses and robes). Small finger puppets of frogs have
some interesting possibilities for the story of the Egyptian plagues. Also small sheep
and pigs.
Copyright ©The British and Foreign Bible Society 2014
All our material, including that on our website, is protected by UK and international
copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to graphics, logos, images, icons, text
and software and is the property of Bible Society. Our resource pages may only be
used for Open the Book assemblies/acts of collective worship. Unauthorised use of
our material is prohibited, including reproduction, storage, modification, distribution
or republication, and may not be used without prior written consent from Bible
Society.