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thing that really can aid to a child's creative imagination
is a puppet theater. However they can be rather expensive and
take up a lot of room. One way that your child can have a fun
and small puppet theater though is to make it out of cereal
boxes and construction paper. Plus with this craft of a puppet
theater your child will be able to customize it as their own. |
| Step
1: The first step in making this puppet theater is
one that will need to be done by the adult helping in the craft.
You will need three cereal boxes that are all the same size.
For the puppet theater the cereal boxes will be laying on its
side. On one of these cereal boxes you will have to cut out
nearly all of the front, leaving about an inch all the way around.
Then in the back of that cereal box you will need to cut out
the back, again leaving an inch all the way around, except you'll
leave the bottom intact to create a flap. |
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| The
second cereal box will need the same cutting expect you don't
leave the back a flap. The other cereal box will need to have
just its front cut out, again though leaving one inch or so
all away around with the exception of the bottom to create a
flap. This can be done with scissors or a razor blade, however
much caution should be taken with both methods. |
| Step
2: After cutting the cereal boxes you should have one
that has both the back and front gone, one that has a large
flap in the front and one that has a large flap in the back
and the front is gone. Place the the box with no flaps in the
middle and put the box that has a back in the back, and the
last box goes in the front of the puppet theater. Help your
toddler glue down the flap from the back box on to the bottom
of the two front cereal boxes. This will keep your puppet theater
in tact. Make sure that you leave a small space in between the
boxes. |
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| Step
3: For added protection again being dropped, carried
around and repeated played with you will want to glue the the
flap that comes from the front box on to the other flap. Once
everything is dry you can begin to decorate the puppet theater.
These three first steps are something that you can do before
you and your child sit down to do the craft if you like. This
way your toddler won't have to wait while the glue dries. One
thing that will help pass the time as the glue dries in the
craft is to cut out the pieces of construction paper that you
need to decorate the puppet theater. |
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Step
4: Cut out strips for the top of your puppet theater
craft. Don't make it a solid piece of paper because the gaps
that you leave between the boxes will be places for the backgrounds
and puppets. The strips will be about the length and width
as the cereal boxes. Once you cut the strips out help your
toddler or young child glue them on to the top of the puppet
theater craft. |
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| Step
5: Cut a piece of construction paper for the sides
and back of the puppet theater. These pieces that you cut out
can be one solid piece. Encourage your child to make the puppet
theater their own by adding the colors, shapes, designs and
even words that they want to have on the back and sides of the
craft. Help your toddler glue on the pieces of construction
paper that they want on the sides and back of the puppet theater. |
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| Step
6: The last step is to decorate the front of the puppet
theater. Your child will need to select colors for the two sides
of the front that the theater will have, the color of the one
inch strip at the bottom and the size, design and color of the
top of the front of the puppet theater. Cut out what you need
to complete this wonderful craft. Help your child glue it all
on. |
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