Table shadow theater. Chicken Ryaba
Do you want to offer your child a new and interesting entertainment? Looking for original ideas? It’s easy enough to make a shadow theater at home with your own hands. You don't need any special equipment or materials. All tools are available. This activity will captivate the child so much that you can turn it into a creative, developmental process.
The principle of organizing the spectacle
Shadow theater is one of the most ancient. Previously, it was available only to the rich, since puppets were created from expensive materials. Subsequently, this entertainment became an exciting children's game. It’s easy to make a shadow theater at home with your own hands. You will need the following:
- Screen made of white translucent fabric.
- Directional lamp (regular table lamp).
- Objects that will act as performers.
- Scenery.
The screen is hung or placed between the audience and the light source. Figures that cast shadows are placed between the screen and the lamp. How closer heroes will be towards the light source, the larger they will become on the “stage”. It is important that your silhouettes do not appear in the rays of the flashlight, otherwise they will also be on the screen.
The objects with which the performance is performed can be figures assembled from objects made of paper and other materials, moving people. In the latter case, more space will be required to organize the theater. In the first and second options, the plane of the table is sufficient.
Your hands are the best artists (schemes)
If the child you are going to entertain is still small, it is enough to use your own palms. This is the easiest way to make a shadow theater with your own hands. Finger interlocking patterns are presented below.
First of all, you will have to practice folding your arms yourself. You can use static figures that will move along the stage. Once this stage is mastered, move on to dynamic characters. Move your fingers, and the bunny's ears will move, the wolf's mouth will open, and the bird will fly, flapping its wings.
If the child was impressed by the action and wanted to try himself as a director and stage director, motivate him, inspire him, praise him for everything he will do. This is a very useful developmental activity, as it improves finger motor skills. If initially the baby doesn’t succeed, don’t be upset. Gradually he will master this technique. Then you can move on to more complex productions with puppets and scenery.
DIY main characters
When finger theater mastered, start making characters from scrap materials. You will need the following:
- paper or cardboard;
- pencil;
- knife or scissors;
- glue;
- stencils, fabric (optional).
There are two ways to make figurines:
- on sticks;
- on flat bases.
The first option is more convenient because those who will hold them can stay at a distance from them.
This is important so that shadows do not fall on the screen from the players themselves. In the second case, when the figures are rearranged, the hands of the player are visible. However, this option also provides an advantage, which is that the figures can be arranged and remain in a static state without human intervention (they do not need to be held). At this time, another character will move between the standing figures. This is convenient, for example, to build decorations (trees, houses).
If you have decided on the design of the figures, start creating their shapes. The easiest way is to cut them out of paper. Cocktail tubes are suitable as sticks. The shapes can be made solid or openwork, and you can also add fabric decor.
If you need to make many identical objects, it is easier to use stencils, that is, make one shape and then trace them the required number of times. If you have children's craft stencils or any other stencils, use them. They are convenient because they are themed, for example, based on fairy tales. With their help you can easily and quickly make all the characters. You don't need to draw the characters yourself or look for illustration samples. Nowadays it is easy to make figures by printing images on a printer and cutting them out along the contour.
Making decorations
In addition to figurines, you can make objects that will create the atmosphere of a particular location. In this case, doing a shadow theater with your own hands takes longer, but it looks more varied and interesting. It is worth remembering that children are captivated not only by the production itself, but also by participating in the preparation of the performance.
The original idea for creating the scenery and the characters themselves is presented in the photo above. Drawing characters and scenery on (a piece of paper) with black paint is the performance itself. To do this you need, of course, to be able to hold a brush in your hands. The contours of objects can be outlined with thin lines in advance.
Children want to be artists too
Children can create a shadow theater with their own hands, even without the participation of adults. You will be spectators of an impromptu performance. Hang the sheet on the frame, install the lamp. Let the children imitate different movements and imagine themselves
Performance ideas
With the help of such entertainment you can have an interesting time with friends and their children. Put on a show together. If you decide to make a collective shadow theater with your own hands, the fairy tale that will be used as the basis for the script must be selected in advance. In this case, everyone will receive a task about what heroes they should make. This creative process will be very exciting and everyone will enjoy it.
You saw that it is not difficult to make a shadow theater with your own hands. All materials are available, and the process of creating a performance is as interesting as watching the action. This exciting activity will help entertain your baby at home and have fun.
Shadow theater is magic that can live in your home. You can create it for your child with your own hands.
What we need:
Thick cardboard
White paper
PVA glue
brushes for glue and paint
scissors
steel wire 2 mm
wire cutters and pliers for working with wire
wooden slats approximately 1.5 X 1 cm
Fibreboard approximately 14 X 30 X 40 cm
screws
wallpaper nails
dye
white fabric (cotton) without pattern
cocktail straw
insulating tape
slide projector (lantern, table lamp)
templates (you can take ready-made ones, or you can draw them yourself)
Draw or print templates for puppets and decorations.
Puppets for shadow theater can be small in size - about 5-10 cm, and during the performance the height of the characters can be changed by bringing the figure closer to the screen or, conversely, moving it away.
Glue the template sheets onto cardboard. Try to lubricate the template with glue without gaps, but not too much - the part should fit tightly and not warp the cardboard base.
Press dry the dolls and cover them with a layer of PVA glue for strength. The brush should be semi-dry so that the figures do not warp.
Cardboard dolls are not easy to cut, especially in areas where there are internal or external corners. Instead of scissors, it is convenient to use a stationery knife.
If you have golden hands and a lot of patience, you can use a stationery knife to cut out the kennels of the face, eyes and small parts inside the dolls. If you glue transparent tracing paper onto the figures, they will sparkle with different shades of black and gray colors. You can also use transparent color film to add color.
To make movable dolls, you need to separately draw and cut out arms, legs and other parts that can move. Dynamic parts rotate on screws or wire, and a wire holder is attached to each of them for control.
If the dolls are still warped, put them under a press for several days.
Holders for dolls and decorations can be made removable for convenience. Glue paper pockets on the back of the dolls. They should be slightly bent outward so that the holder loop fits in easily.
The most suitable material is wire. Make rings on both sides of a piece of wire - one for the pocket on the “back” of the doll, the other so that the holder does not rotate in your hands. We got holders 13 cm long for dolls. The decoration holders turned out to be 5 cm long and with rings on only one side. The diameter of the rings is 1 cm.
If you don't have wire, gluing on popsicle sticks is a quick option for doll holders. But it has a drawback - the sticks roughen and spoil the silhouette of the dolls during the performance.
You can make standard dolls (grandfather, grandmother, granddaughter, animals) and use them in different performances. If you want to put new performance, you will only have to make the missing heroes. Sets of heroes for different fairy tales It is advisable to place them in signed envelopes.
The screen for the performance can be wooden or cardboard. You can even use a picture frame instead of a screen.
Cardboard screens are easier to make and decorate, but are less durable.
It is not at all necessary to make the screen traditionally rectangular. If you are seriously interested in shadow theater, then you can make a whole set of screen-scenery in the form of a castle, a forest, a hut...
Our screen is made of wooden slats. Its dimensions are:
total height – 45 cm
height of “camouflage” fiberboard – 15 cm
screen height – 30 cm
frame width – 50 cm
the length of the stands (legs) for the frame is 25 cm.
The frame needs to be painted, and the lower part of the frame can be decorated with a story picture.
A favorite theme for screen design is the starry sky. For our theater, we played up the plot of the fairy tale about the golden key. We made decorations from silver insulating tape.
For strength, parts can be coated with PVA glue or varnish.
The screen is covered with fabric. To measure the fabric correctly, trace the frame directly onto the fabric and cut out a rectangle, slightly away from the edge (about 1 cm around the entire perimeter).
WITH reverse side Grooves for decoration holders are glued to the bottom rail of the screen. We used a cocktail straw, cut into pieces about 3 cm long.
We stretch the fabric and attach it with wallpaper nails. The smoother the canvas is stretched, the clearer the contours of the figures will be.
Behind the screen, at a distance of about 25 cm, a light source is installed - a flashlight, a slide projector or a table lamp.
The direction of light is from above and behind, so the puppeteer’s hands will be invisible, and the shadows will be the clearest. The puppeteer's hands are located between the screen and the light source, and the puppeteer himself is located behind the light.
Tips for a puppeteer
For the first performances, choose simple stories from folk tales.
Rehearse well and learn the secrets of shadow theater before performing.
If you want a puppet or decoration to disappear or appear unnoticeably, turn it so that its edge is facing the screen and move it.
Arrange the dolls in order, and then during the performance the audience will not have to wait long for the “artist” to come out.
During the performance, play appropriate music.
Voice each doll with “her” voice.
By moving the light source, you will achieve different effects - depict wind, storm or snow.
Shadow theater can be played anywhere there is bright light and a flat wall. Instead of dolls there are finger figurines.
Children immediately fall in love with the shadow theater. First, they enthusiastically watch the performances, and then begin to invent the plot themselves. Let, regardless of whether the child has directorial abilities or not, an ovation always awaits him at home.
There are many options for interesting leisure activities that you can organize for kids yourself. Of course, the most interesting ones are those in which the little ones can take a direct part. These fun options include a shadow theater for children, which you can do yourself at home without much expense.
How to surprise your baby with the help of shadow?The most simple option A game with a child is to show shadows from the hands on the wall, with the help of which you can depict various objects, animals or people. How to make such a shadow theater with your own hands at home - various manuals on the art of creating an image will help you understand this issue. For children, do-it-yourself shadow theater templates are simple figures, examples of which are presented below:
You can make shadow figures with your hands both on the wall and on a small screen. To do this, you will need to make a rectangle out of boards and stretch translucent light fabric without a pattern onto it. It is recommended to secure it using buttons or a furniture stapler. After which the performance can begin: the screen is placed on the surface of the table or a specially prepared stand, the bottom is covered with thick fabric, the lamp is installed behind the actors, and the light is directed onto the screen. To make it more interesting for your baby, you can add various decorations and dolls to the images of the figures.
Shadow puppet theaterIn order to make a shadow play with characters at home with your own hands, you will need a simple set of stationery. It includes: thick cardboard, glue, scissors, thin light sticks. To begin with, it is proposed to use puppets in productions that do not move. This will make it easier to learn this delicate skill, and creating characters will take a few hours. Figures for the shadow theater are made by hand using templates with images. You can draw them yourself, or you can use ready-made ones. Next, they are transferred to paper, cut out and assembled using glue or a stapler. Depending on what role the doll has, it can stick to the stick either from the side or from the bottom.
Making a shadow theater with your own hands from paper is not a troublesome task, but very exciting. The kids will be happy to help make dolls, and then perform everyone’s favorite fairy tales, and the visiting spectators will discuss this spectacle for a long time.
Shadow theater– exciting and interesting art, which will not leave either adults or children indifferent. By using shadow theater you can act out a variety of fairy tales using different character templates, scenery.
I present to your attention making screens and templates for shadow theater.
For manufacturing you will need the following materials:
Ruler;
Tape measure, pencil;
Sandpaper;
White paint, brush;
Awnings (small);
Screws, screwdriver;
White fabric (dense);
Velcro;
Flashlights 4 pcs.
Loops for wiring.
Black gouache
1. First of all, before you do DIY screen, you need to draw a sheet of chipboard.
![](https://i2.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454341530.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454339056.jpg)
2. Difficulties may arise with windows, but this can be easily fixed using a drill, drill holes in the corners of our future window and you can cut out our window with a jigsaw.
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454341581.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454339022.jpg)
3. The ends of the parts are lightly sanded, and then we attach the canopies.
![](https://i0.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454339174.jpg)
4. All parts are painted in White color, even those places that will be covered with fabric, since it tends to be transparent.
![](https://i2.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454339223.jpg)
5. Now you can start sewing the screen for screens. It is better to make it removable so that you can take it off and wash it. To do this, I sewed a screen with Velcro around the perimeter.
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454339366.jpg)
6. Accordingly, on the reverse side screens We glue Velcro around the perimeter of the window with super glue and nail the hinges (for wiring, we will insert decorations into them, and paint the front side as whatever: But you shouldn’t focus too much on this so as not to distract the attention of the audience.
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454339666.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454339577.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340084.jpg)
Our the screen is ready!
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340311.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340384.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340577.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454341732.jpg)
9. Then templates were laminated.
![](https://i0.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340740.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454341670.jpg)
10. Cut out and to everyone templates pieces of cocktail tubes were glued with super glue (sticks will be inserted into them to attach them to screen decorations and holding characters).
![](https://i2.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340425.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340443.jpg)
Our the theater is ready!
![](https://i0.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454340913.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/maam.ru/upload/blogs/detsad-205882-1454341148.jpg)
Thank you for your attention!
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Imagine - evening twilight, a tightly drawn curtain and spectators frozen in anticipation of a miracle. Soon, next to the most ordinary lamp, a magical performance will begin, woven from almost nothing. Shadow theater is a fascinating spectacle that appeals to children of all ages, from one-year-old babies to primary schoolchildren, who happily take part in the preparation of the performance and come up with their own fairy tales for the shadow performance.You don't have to go to a real theater to watch a theatrical performance of light and shadow. All this can be done at home using available materials. Home shadow theater is a fun and useful activity for the whole family. Everyone can participate in the preparation and performance of the performance, imagination is in full swing, the plot is full of surprises, and the level of complexity of the scenery and figures depends on the interest of the kids and the time that everyone is ready to devote to it.
What kind of shadow theater is there?
Finger theater consists of shadows that appear on the screen due to the different positions of the hands and the intertwining of the “director’s” fingers. Most often these are images of well-known animals, but professionals can show human faces or some inanimate objects. This is great for training fine motor skills and coordination.
Puppet theater is a performance using ready-made figures and scenery. The characters are cut out of cardboard, mounted on sticks and moved according to the action. Due to the fact that almost anything can be cut out of cardboard, puppet show shadows provide a boundless field for the flight of children's imagination.
What do you need for a home shadow theater?
1. Light source - this can be a simple table lamp, a travel flashlight or any other lamp with directional light.
2. Screen - is a translucent white plane that can be made from different materials- tracing paper, a thin white sheet, ordinary Whatman paper, or sheets of white paper fastened together. The frame for the screen can be a cut-out lid from any box, an artistic stretcher, a two-story children's bed - any structure on which you can stretch the screen. You can make it from a decomposed shoe box and stretch a sheet over a bunk bed. A small “stage” is suitable for simple finger shows, but if you want to prepare a real puppet show, it is better to make a spacious large screen where the whole story will fit.
3. Setting and Characters – Choose where you want to start. If you decide to try finger theater, practice with your child how to fold your palms and fingers in such a way that “live” images of animals appear on the screen. A dog can bark, a crocodile can open its toothy mouth, a bunny can move its ears - whatever you imagine. For the puppet theater you will need thick cardboard from which you will cut out decorations and figures.
Helpful Tips:
1. The screen should be located between the audience and the lamp. The actors are between the lamp and the screen. Remember that the lamp gets hot and it is best not to touch the light source during the performance.
2. In order for the shadows to be clear, the light should fall directly, and not from the side, and the lamp should not be close, but two or three meters from the wall.
3. The light source should always be behind the screen and slightly to the side. Position yourself so that the shadow of your body almost does not fall on the screen, and the shadow of your hands is evenly clear.
4. It is better to paint cardboard figures with black paint, then they will be contrasting and noticeable on the screen.
5. The size of the shadows on the screen depends on the distance from the figure to the light source. To make the figure smaller, bring it close to the screen. To make it grow in size, place it further away. It is better to secure the scenery close to the screen with tape or bent paper clips so that they do not move during the performance, and little directors will have an extra pair of hands.
6. If the kids like it home theater, make a real curtain, tickets and programs. During the performance, you can arrange a real intermission with an impromptu buffet.
5. Start with a small number of characters - two or three are enough for the first time. With practice, you can easily move on to more complex performances.
6. To make the performance “colorful,” use colored light bulbs or filters that can be attached to the lamp. For night scenes - a blue filter, for morning scenes - a red one, and so on.
7. The figures can be made movable by wrapping their arms, legs, wings and tails with soft wire. Instead of sticks that hold characters up, use regular drinking straws.