Apples 4 Bookworms: Cup Puppet: Frog

Back in 2004 {wow! That was a loooong time ago!} I took a "Puppetry for Children" class at ASU. LOVED IT! Had an awesome professor! Well, one of the assignments was to come up with a cup puppet. She gave us a great example of a dragon cup puppet (hoping I can share that idea soon). So, I came up with this puppet: The Frog Cup Puppet!! Since creating this puppet I have made it with hundreds of students and they LOVE them! These would also be great for birthday parties!!

Warning you now... don't have the best camera. :)

When using this frog cup puppet in the classroom I like to use these 2 books with the puppet:

"The Frog Prince Continued" and "A Frog in the Bog".

I use "The Frog Prince Continued" with more intermediate age kids. I have a Reader's Theater to this.... just got to find it. :) I'll post it here once I find the file. Reader's Theater helps with fluency. Also the puppets are interactive to use during the reading of this story.

I like to use "A Frog in the Bog" with more primary age kids. After making our frog puppets, we read this book. We were studying the -og family. So, while I read aloud this book, anytime the kids heard an "-og" word they would blow their frog's tongue out. SO FUN!

How to make my Frog Cup Puppet:

Materials Needed:

Green Felt
Google Eyes
White Pom Poms
Green Paper Cups (I find mine at a discount party store. Come in packages of 24)
Blowouts
Scissors
Packing Tape
Tacky Glue or Hot Glue Gun (I use Tacky Glue if the kiddos are primarily making the puppet)

PREP:

{I'm thinking of selling prepared kits of these frogs in my etsy shop. So, keep checking back! That way you don't have to do the prep work and the craft kits are all ready to go for your classroom or bday party!}

First, cut off the little fringe around your blowouts (if needed). I know some come with paper decor on them that will need to be removed.

Second, cut out the frog legs out of your green felt. For each frog cup puppet you will need 2 feet and 2 legs. Depending how high you want the legs to come up on your puppet, that determines how tall you make them.

Third, push out the bottoms of the green paper cups.

It will look like this. Throw away the bottom and just push back the paper lining left on the bottom of the cup.

Like this! :)

ASSEMBLY:

You choose based on your kiddos abilities how much they can do. You know them and what they can handle. When I was teaching first graders and made these with my class, I put tacky glue on a plate and gave them toothpicks to use to glue the legs and google eyes together. Then, they could come back to the "mushroom table" and I (or a parent helper) would hot glue the legs and eyes to the green paper cup. Installing the blowout is a little tricky for the younger kiddos too.

I used hot glue in the pic just cuz I'm an adult and it's easier. :) When the kiddos do this with tacky glue, I tell them to hold it until they count to 20.

Make sure the feet are glued facing different directions. One facing left and another facing right.

The kids can decide how close they want their frog eyes glued together on the top of the frog. Then, put glue on the sides to glue on the frog legs.

The favorite feature of the frog puppet: his/her tongue!

I cut about a 3 inch strip of packing tape (I use packing tape because it hold the best).

Put the piece of tape on top of the blow out. Hold the edges up in like a "U" shape. Tape it to the inside of the cup. See below pic.

I then write the kiddos names on the inside of the cup so we don't spread any germs on the blowouts. :)

YAY!! All done!

FROG PRINCESS:

So, these puppets would be such a cute/fun craft at any "Princess Frog" birthday party!!

All you need to do is add a crown!

You can buy little foam crown kits at a craft store or you can make your own. I just have these foam sheets from the Dollar Store and these Jewels that I bought from Michaels.

The girls will love gluing the bling on the crowns!