Involve kids in your Bible lessons with puppets

Materials (per puppet)
* 1 x plastic juice or milk carton for each puppet character
* 2 x  google eyes (at least 28mm) If you can't buy them, you can cut out ovals from the plastic lids of icecream containers and use black permanent markers.
* flesh coloured stockings
* acrylic hair from a craft shop, or wool
* small piece of soft calico or other material, or a scarf.
* 50cm length of 8mm dowel & tack or nail

Want to involve kids in lessons and Bible stories? Try giving them some puppets to act out or retell the story. 

If you've never used puppets before or don't know how to start, these rod puppets are a great way to begin- and they are so easy to make! Make a set of characters to have on hand for any story or... involve the kids in making them. And... if you also take photos of the kids and the puppet presentation or make a video, it's even better. You can show it to all your kidmin groups and your church family or upload it to your kidmin website. I have found that even the quiet kids want to play a part as a puppet character.

So.. how do you make them?

Directions
1. Remove lid from carton. Pull the leg of a stocking over the carton down past  the neck of the carton and tie a knot.
2. Cut off the excess stocking and screw the lid of the carton back on. 
3. Drill a hole in the centre of the lid and push the dowel through to the inside end of the carton. If it seems a little loose, push in a tack (or hammer a nail) through the base of the carton to anchor the end of the piece of dowel. ( You shouldn't have too much difficulty seeing the end of the dowel through the base of the plastic carton.)
4. The handle of the carton becomes the puppet's nose so attach 2 google eyes on either side of the handle.
5. Now, comes the fun part. Add acrylic hair for the puppet's mustache  eyebrows and hair. Wrap the piece of material around the top of the carton and it's ready!