School Assembly Demonstration
Ranka's Musical Revue
Ranka’s performance is followed by her highly popular and engaging demonstration, in which she first shows
students how she makes her own characters from foam rubber and fabric.
Ranka then shows students how they can make their own puppets from easy-to-find, recyclable materials.
[How Students Can Make Puppets]
How Ranka Makes Her Puppets
Insight into the Creative Process
The intention behind this half of the demonstration is to give students an insight into the creative process: the making of something imaginative, exciting, and beautiful--from simple materials.
Even the liveliest student audiences become silent with fascination while watching Ranka transform a block of foam rubber into a puppet in five minutes.
We illustrate here some of the steps in Ranka’s demonstration—minus, of course, Ranka’s animated dialogue with the students.
From Foam Block to Puppet
Ranka begins her demonstration by telling students that she first draws an outline of the character she wants to create. (For efficiency, Ranka has already drawn the outline and pre-cut the figure, which she simply pulls from the block.)
Ranka tells how she cuts the figure out of the block.
Then Ranka gives the figure a pair of eyes, a tanktop, hair, teeth, and finally glasses.
Ranka also shows how you can change a character’s personality by changing the placement of the eyes:
Or changing the hairstyle:
And before long you have a character with its own personality!
How Students Can Make Puppets
The intention behind this half of the demonstration is to inspire students to make their own puppets. Through an engaging series of examples, Ranka illustrates how students can create unique, simple, and beautiful puppets of their own.
In each case, Ranka briefly shows students how they can transform a common, recyclable object into a fun and expressive puppet. We illustrate here this transformation from object to puppet with several examples:
From toilet-paper rolls to Mr. T.P. Roll. Even his hair is made out of a toilet-paper roll. And he moves like a contortionist!
From tissue box to Mr. Gesundheit, who really talks his head off! Ranka shows how he can be constructed, one step at a time, using two boxes, a little tape, yarn, fabric, and paint.
Here are two more popular demonstration characters: Ms. Floora Mopp, who runs her own housecleaning business, and Mr. M. Ilk, the only rock 'n' roll singing milk carton in the world.
Ranka’s performance and demonstration inspire as well as excite students, as illustrated by this PTA Assembly Coordinator’s letter (first on page), as well as these letters from students.
You can find more letters in Letters & Drawings.
