TOS Review~  Puppetools

Puppetools is an idea for using puppets and play in learning. The designers of this site are still working on its layout and design so if the site is a little confusing, well, just keep in mind that we can’t all be good at everything. The hinge is the ‘mainspring’ of the Puppetools site. The patterns are used in the beginning to spark your own ideas. You’re supposed to use your own imagination to make your puppets. For some reason that’s an idea that’s scary for me. lol I guess I’m just afraid that if I make my own original puppet it might not catch my children’s attention and therefore I’ve failed. The more I think about it the more I like the idea that Puppetools wants me to think and create for myself.

The subscription cost is designed for sharing. There are currently two membership options: A $20 60-day trial subscription or a $99 regular year-long subscription that can be used for up to 30 members of a group that signs up to use the Puppetools site. For this subscription price you get instructions on how to make the extremely simple patented hinge and access to over 30 simple predesigned puppets on pdf. files, basic ideas on how to make more and a couple of worksheets that help you develop your puppet's character and purpose. There are also many examples of teachers using puppets in their classrooms.

This site was a good reminder for me that playing is how children learn best. I’ve been stressed about my children not being up to par in their academics so I’ve been cracking the whip and they’re not liking it. The Puppetools site gave me lots of reasons to make learning fun again. I wonder if there are math teachers who have used puppets to make concepts stick? Hmm, I'll have to go scour the site for ideas.

Tips are given on how to and how not to use your puppets.

Some of the videos have no audio but are still helpful in showing us visual learners how to do something such as construct a puppet. Some informational files are audio only or audio with graphics.

There is a “My Puppet” worksheet where you can develop your puppet’s character and personality or a character sketch form that can be used by an older child or adult.

Every time I log on to the site I like what I’m hearing and I fully believe in what is being presented but I’m not sure the homeschool market is the ideal target market for Puppetools unless maybe a new homeschool family needs some ideas to make learning fun. Thinking and doing outside the box is something homeschoolers do inherently, so I fear he would be preaching to the choir.

I do have to say that personally I love that I got to try it out because I needed some fresh ideas on how to educate my children. My brain sort of checked out on me the last couple of years and I feel like I just woke up after a very long sleep. Someone like me could certainly use a leg up in the imagination department. The patented puppet mouth hinge is extremely simple but useful. I think I’m going to use it to make some puppets for my son once he’s done with preschool. I just now noticed the segment on using puppets in special ed. so that’s something I’m going to have to take advantage of.  Ooh! I can use puppets now to help teach my son some Bible stories. I can’t seem to get his interest while reading most of my Bible story books and I’ve tried several. He only very recently started paying attention if it’s a story his Sunday School teacher has presented before hand.

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I just made a quick hinge for Tink and she’s off creating her own puppets already. So far she’s made a purple diamond-back snake with a pink head and his name is Jake the Snake. He’s pretty cute and when you answer one of his questions he utters a long, drawn out “Oh!” It’s very cute. Tink introduced Jake to The Dude and Baby Princess and they like him a lot. Dude really likes Jake’s tail.

I think the creator of Puppetools is very much like all of us homeschooling parents who genuinely want to help our children learn and grow as fully and painlessly as possible. So check out the Puppetools site if it's something that you think might aid your children's learning. There are lots of informational audio and video clips to give you a tiny taste of the Puppetools philosophy.