Happily Homeschooling

Puppetools.com Review

Puppetools.com

My current review is on a website called puppetools.com. And it’s about, you guessed it, puppets. This website offers various puppet patterns that can be downloaded and printed along with instructions on putting the puppet together. It also offers ideas on how to incorporate the puppets into education and play. There are 37 puppet patterns with the possibility to create many more using the patterns.

What’s this all about? This website was developed by Jeffrey Peyton, a scientist, inventor, and play pioneer (according to the website). Mr. Peyton “has advanced the idea of education reform from the inside out and downside up model of culture change in our schools”. He believes that allowing puppet play in the classroom will allow communication to open up between teachers and children. This will allow the children to feel more comfortable and thus, learn more. Mr. Peyton states that “Puppetry was neither ‘enrichment’ or ‘playtime’ or a candy-coated pill. It was an educational cultural force able to transform learning into an active dimension”. He wrote “children who normally stood back in a group readily approached teacher and friend; others, whose attention span was often in conflict with a high energy level, stood transfixed, struck by the dynamics of teacher and puppet together at work”.

The use of puppets to entertain has been around for a long time. But the concept of using puppets in the classroom or as an educational tool has been limited. Mr. Peyton brings teachers and parents an interesting concept of encouraging children through puppet play. I have seen puppets pull children out of their shells and interact with others at work. It can be an effective way to break down barriers from fear and apprehension.

As far as homeschoolers, I am not sure this program will work extraordinarily well. Homeschool homes already use different tools that the standard classroom doesn't, and play is often one of them. Puppets are neat and fun, and will work for some, but I do not see them as an important part of education. You know your children, and yourself. Giving it a try is helpful to determine if it will work in your home. My kids love theater and create skits and such, using various tools. However, when they saw puppetools, they were not interested. It's not that the puppets are not difficult to put together or they couldn't use them in a skit, but they enjoy creating their own, which they have always done.

A subscription includes:

• 1 year to train and master Puppetools
• Access to the Educator work area
• Access to extensive research on play and education
• Access to 100’s of puppet images, concepts, and patterns
• Access to a number of forums
• Access to many videos for instruction

The price is $99 for one year (for up to 30 users), or $20 for a 60 day trial.

You can take a look at the website yourself here. Search around a get a feel for it. You might be surprised at what you’ll find. It may work for you and your family. As for my family, the price is a little much for puppet print outs and we will not use them for education.

You can click here to check out what the other crew members are saying, too.