Nature Craft: Make Bush Puppets

Nature craft puppets are a perfect DIY and are made from anything that grows in nature: dried leaves, fresh leaves, seed pods, flowers and sticks.

Keep your eyes peeled for shapes which you think look like animals or animal parts—e.g., long and thin eucalyptus leaves make great snakes, small oval leaves make good rabbit ears, and a spiky banksia seed pod makes a perfect echidna.

How to create a nature craft bush puppet.

What you need:

• Nature craft bits: leaves (fresh and dried), seed pods, flowers, sticks, weeds–anything you can find in nature can be used!
• Glue–a hot glue gun will stick things together best but other glue like PVA can work too
• Textas and stickers–used to make faces
• String or extra sticks

Steps to make your nature craft bush puppet:

1. Gather all your materials and spread out on a table.
2. Spend some time combining the nature pieces you have found in various ways to make best use of their shapes.
3. Use stickers and marker to add a face.
4. Once you are happy with you arrangement, glue it in place using a hot glue gun.
5. Don’t forget to add an extra stick or string so your puppet can then perform.

Tips for making bush puppets:

• Long thin leaves make good snakes!
• Seed pods can make perfect butterfly bodies.
• Fluffy plants can double as tails + soft flowers can make great animal paws.
• The echidna’s tongue is part of a flower.
• Spiky plants for spiky animals + insects.
• Owl wings are made from one leaf cut in half–the eyebrows too!

///

Nature craft bush puppets by Beci Orpin and photography by Jacinta Moore for Lunch Lady Magazine Issue 14.