 |
 |
Parks & Rec Business
| Nature Alive Using puppet shows to spark admiration for wildlife By Demetra Mihevic Spiders, bats, turkey vultures. What do they have in common? They are some of the rejects in the animal world. At the sight or mention of them, many kids' reaction is, "Eeoooh…gross!" Naturalists and park volunteers at the Wolf Creek Environmental Education Center (part of the Medina County Park District) in Sharon Center, Ohio, counter such negative reactions by awakening a love and deep appreciation for all wildlife through simple natural histories, stories, nature puppet shows and direct interaction with birds, insects and mammals. Entertainment With A Purpose The newest means to cultivate interest and respect for wild creatures is nature puppet shows. They usually have a seasonal theme and are targeted for elementary school youngsters as well as adults. Puppet programs are popular at Wolf Creek for Family Night programs and senior citizen groups who visit the center but can't hike the trails. Most of the time, though, schools and scouting groups request them, especially those schools with limited funds for field trips. During school visits, we present the puppet show first. After each performance, which lasts about twenty minutes, we share brief natural histories and talk about items (animal skins and skulls, owl wings, talons and pellets, bird nests and eggs, praying mantis egg cases and cocoons) we brought to enhance the nature theme. Stage Props The stage frame is light and portable, made of numbered pieces of PVC pipe with slip-joint fittings for easy assembly. A woodland scene is painted on wide pieces of material for the front and two sides of the stage and a sky scene for the backdrop. Staff and volunteers created the entire setting as well as the puppet scripts. Three puppeteers can sit comfortably behind the woodland scene curtain and usually handle two Folkmanis puppets each. Music accompanies the show as well as recorded nature sounds like bird songs, howling, flowing stream and thunder. Animal “Rejects" Kids love cute, cuddly animals, and many of these are represented in our puppet shows. But in reality some animals are ugly and have disgusting habits. The turkey vulture, for example, sports a naked, red, warty head and neck and gorges on dead, stinking animals. The spider causes most folks to recoil when they encounter one, and often their instinct is to squash it. The bat has been the target of cruel myths that accuse it of being a dirty, blood-sucking, devilish creature that carries rabies. These creatures are the heroes in our most popular puppet show, "Animal Rejects." The plot is simple: Fun-loving Otter encounters these unhappy creatures and perceives that they suffer from low self-esteem. He arranges an appointment with Dr. Crow, the woodland psychologist, who brings out their valuable qualities in his interview with them. At the end of the performance, Turkey Vulture is so happy about himself that he makes loop-the-loops in the background sky. He, as well as the audience, is made to understand that the turkey vulture is nature's sanitary engineer that cleans the environment, keeps it sweet-smelling and free of diseases brought on by dead, decaying animals. After her talk with nature's psychologist, Spider attaches a sign to her web, stating “Artist At Work.” Dr. Crow and woodland friends heighten her self-esteem by pointing out examples that prove she's nature's artisan, whose stunning webs of silk are stronger than steel of equal thickness. Likewise, she's unbeatable at insect control! Dr. Crow persuades Bat that she's among the most useful gentle-animal friends that people have, and her gift of "seeing with sound" (echolocation) is more remarkable than the radar created by man. After this program, folks realize, perhaps for the first time, that even though spiders, bats, turkey vultures and other maligned creatures were passed over when beauty and charm were bestowed to other animals, they make up for it in their usefulness to man. These "rejects" are necessary for a balanced, healthy environment. Other Puppet Shows In "Spring Awakening" Frog uses a trick to awaken Toad a little early in the spring season, and together they encounter noisy, busy woodland animals (Tillie Turtle, Riley Raccoon, Mrs. Opossum, Buckeye Chuck, Mourning Cloak Butterfly and Mrs. Bluebird) enjoying the sunshine and all the thrilling opportunities of spring. The most famous winter hibernator, Buckeye Chuck, is the hero of "Winter Survival." Singing "I can't wait to hibernate," he's looking forward to a few months of sleep after a hectic season of raising a brood of four little woodchucks. He points out that he doesn't have to worry about storing food for the winter as his friend Chippy Chipmunk does, nor does he have to migrate to Mexico like Mona Monarch Butterfly. As Buckeye Chuck chats with his other friends rushing to beat the winter snows, the audience learns about survival techniques of Charlie Chickadee, Tillie Turtle, Bushy Squirrel, Skunk and Riley Raccoon. These nature puppet shows are packed with information but presented in such a way that they usually tickle everyone's funny bone. Demetra Mihevic is a naturalist, freelance writer and the author of three published books. |
|
All contents contained within this website may not be reproduced or disseminated without expressed written permission from the Publisher.