Our puppet-building project brought a wonderful group of youth and parents together to create colourful, playful puppets for the community. While our original plan was to build large-scale puppets inspired by nature, imagination, and the elements, we ultimately adapted the project to fit the time and resources we had available. Rather than trying to rush a large project, we decided to focus on smaller puppets that could still capture the spirit of the original idea.
The workshop brought together a group of young people along with several parents. Working side by side, participants learned and shared hands-on skills as we created paper mache ladybugs, along with star and flower puppets. There was plenty of opportunity for creativity, with participants contributing their own ideas and personalities to the designs.
One of the biggest challenges was time. Building large-scale puppets requires more preparation, materials, and construction time than we had available. Changing our plans allowed us to make sure the project remained enjoyable and achievable rather than becoming overwhelming. We learned that community art projects don’t always have to turn out exactly as originally envisioned to be successful. Being flexible and adapting to the circumstances can actually create a better experience for everyone involved.
The most rewarding part was seeing youth and adults working together, learning from one another, and taking pride in what they created. The finished puppets became more than just craft projects—they became a way for participants to contribute something of their own to a larger community celebration.
The puppets were brought to the Starbelly Jam Music Festival and became part of the festival parade. Seeing the ladybugs, stars, and flowers out in the community, being carried and enjoyed during the parade, was a wonderful way to complete the project.
This project reminded us that creativity, collaboration, and community connection are often more important than the size of the finished product. We are excited to build on what we learned and hopefully continue creating community puppets and other playful art projects in the future.
