Hand Puppets!

Hand puppets: Where would any teacher be without them? Especially as a secondary teacher, I find there is nothing my surly, jaded teenage students respond to better than a cheerful terry cloth muppet, dangling from my wrist!



But there are SO MANY hand puppets to choose from. How do I know I have selected a hand puppet academically and developmentally appropriate for my lesson plan? Here is a quick breakdown of hand puppets and their uses:







Bear: Essay Writing. let's face it, nothing terrifies students more than having to come up with a damn thesis. They'll feel better when snuggly wuggly Pookums the Bear shows them how to group those ideas into cozy-wozy paragraphs.


Dinosaur: Sex Ed and Health. These kids are trying to kill themselves, what with their beer pong, rampant sexuality and blow. Nothing frightens a student straight like a Tyrannosaurus dying dramatically of HIV.


Pig: Most math subjects. Watch that pudgy little piggy gobble up the remainder in that equation. Caution: not for students with eating disorders.


Cow: American history. Not a dry eye in the room when Bossie dramatically recites the Bill of Rights. Bonus points if you can do it with a colonial accent or while wearing a powdered wig and false teeth!


Octopus: String theory. Nanostructured biomaterials. Electromagnetic fields in statefied media. Also doubles as Medusa for a class on Greek Myths!