Garden Glove Hand Puppets

by Rachel Webb

Using an inexpensive garden glove, colored felt and pom poms you can create wonderful handpuppets that can make any storybook come alive for children of all ages! First, Purchase a pair of lightweight garden gloves and some fabric, craft glue ("Tacky" glue works well). Medium sized gloves tend to work well for most adult's hands but can still be enjoyed by children as well. Next you will need to gather an assortment of pom-poms. Large Poms for the heads of the characters and smaller poms to be used for the puppets ears, noses, etc. You will also need assorted colors of felt, even felt scraps are appropriate. when creatively making the puppets clothes, don't forget to include hats where appropriate, ties on the boys or bows in the little girls hair.

Squiggly eyes can give the puppets character or use small beads instead. This is a wonderful craft for using little bits of leftover ribbon, buttons, lace, beads and other supplies you may have stashed away in your craft closet.

When your crafts are gathered start by choosing your favorite storybook. Choose one that is well known and that includes several animal or human characters. 5 story characters would be ideal using one for each hand but don't rule out other books based only on the amount of fingers you have to use on your glove.

For example, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves makes an adorable puppet glove by overlapping several dwarves per finger. Snow White however, will be used often in the story and should have her own moveable finger in the glove. The center of the glove could also be used for attaching a real oval or circle shaped mirror. Perfect for the scene where the wicked step mother asks who is the fairest one of all.

Other suggestions for story characters to reproduce as puppets would include "The Little Red Hen", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", or the "Wizard of Oz". Think how cute it would be to paint glittery yellow bricks winding a pathway up the wrist to the glove.

In thinking of creative ways to use the entire glove don't forget the back of the hand. Perhaps you will want to keep the "good" characters on the front of the glove and attach the "Bad" evil characters to the back of the hand, hiding in the shadows ready to surprise the children at the appropriate place in the story!