Juniper Tree Puppets Events
Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts developed out of many years of outreach teaching. We offer a variety of workshops, professional development courses, and weekend events. The focus of the school is a one year, part-time, 3-part certificate training in Storytelling and Puppet Theater, with self designed practical practice projects to work on through the year after each of the three sessions.
New 3-Part Certificate Puppetry Training Begins Summer 2013
Taking applications for the next series of puppetry training. This 3-part course will be held in New England. See ‘School’ section of this site.
Highlight of Events 2012 – 2013
Workshop on the Development of Early Language and How Puppetry and Storytelling Support This Milestone. Boulder, CO March 24-26
Part of the Lifeways Training, this 2 and a half day block is open to all. We look at the amazing elements of language acquisition, and work with how storytelling and puppetry support this magical process. The Nursery Rhymes are especially valuable for speech support, with their lovely alliterative consonants. Puppet Making, Storytelling practice, presentation of visual story practice.
Mother Earth, the Four Season Puppet – Washington DC April 22
This one day workshop focuses on the incredible character of Mother Earth. We will make table puppet Mother Earth’s that resound with the care and welcome children need to connect to the earth around them and the cycle of the seasons. She is a beloved character, and can introduce and be part of stories for all the four seasons. We will practice her wholesome and all embracing gesture in our story practice. contact me, or Carol Petrash at the Wahsington DC Waldorf School.
The Art of the Protection Story – Southeast Regional WKSP Asheville NC April 28-9
Today’s children need to be embraced with story and the visual imagination through puppetry that show them that all is well in the world. We need our children to feel safe and welcome to explore their kingdom. Protection stories, particularly visual stories, surround the child with the extra sheaths or ‘skins’ to allow this beautiful unfolding of heart and soul. We will work with one story and create a story vessel and character that tell this sweet kind of tale. Discussion, handcrafting, storytelling and puppet presentation skill building.
NeedleFelting Fairy Tale Tapestries, Boulder, CO May 5
Enjoy an immersion into the color, forms, and magic of needle-felting an heirloom story tapestry for your classroom or child’s room. Learn the art of building up a rich landscape with this needle-felting technique. You will create a beautiful story picture ready to hang on a wall, or stand on a nature table.. All levels welcome. Contact Suzanne for further information.
The Magic of Lap Puppet Theater – Des Moines, Iowa – May 12
When children gather all around you to listen and watch a puppet tale, the intimacy of the lap stage weaves a heart space between you and your young audience, be it one child or many. In this workshop we will create characters for a simple story and together work on the art of presenting a sweet tale on our lap theaters.
The Art of the Story Apron, Spokane WA – May 19-20
The Story Apron is my personal favorite magical lap puppet theater. We will wet felt a story landscape apron bib with pockets holding a myriad of puppet characters who topple out to tell their tale. The skirt is a flow of colorful silk which lays gracefully over you lap and legs to create the ‘stage’ your story unfolds on. This one apron theater will transform your story and puppet presentation. We will create puppets and a story to practice artistic presentation with. You will go home with a beautiful ‘theater’ and a story to tell. Contact Suzanne for further information.
The Mother Archetype and ‘Touched Into Being’ – a 5-day ECE Professional Development Course on this Healing Rod Puppet Keene, NH June 26-30
This much requested workshop brings the depth of therapeutic early childhood insights in an artistic and practical way in support of the young child’s foundational senses, and overall development. We will explore the sense of touch as the ‘holder’ of the other foundational senses through the loving qualities of the Mother Archetype. We will create Mother and Baby Rod Puppets and learn how to visually inspire the inner goodness of the embrace, both soul-wise and physical from Mother to Child. We will develop their stories and present our sacred tales. Contact Suzanne for further information.
The Four Season Rod Puppet – Boulder, CO July 20-22
This popular Rod Puppet workshop invites you to create your favorite four season puppet, one that can introduce and tell a tale in any season. What will inspire you? An old gnome, mother earth, sister of the forest, an elfen pixie, father sun, brother wind? The options are as varied as your imaginations. We will then work on how to ensoul them with graceful and truthful movements that weave the archetypes through your story presentation.
Fairy Tale Felting Festival for Teachers and Parents – Boulder, CO August 10, 11,12
The 2nd Annual Felting Festival from Larkspur School of Felting – focus this year is on the Fairy Tale. Three days of felting – one where we delve into the art of 3 dimensional felting, creating magical story bags to help us tell our tales. Then we enter the world of flat and 3 dimensional picture felting, first with the technique of Wet Felting Story Tapestries, and one where we focus on the art of dry felting – Needle Felting Fairy Tale Tapestries – Learn the craft of all of these felting methods, or choose one or two!
The Art of the Story Apron – New England Location October 13-14
The Story Apron is my personal favorite magical lap puppet theater. We will wet felt a story landscape apron bib with pockets holding a myriad of puppet characters who topple out to tell their tale. The skirt is a flow of colorful silk which lays gracefully over you lap and legs to create the ‘stage’ your story unfolds on. This one apron theater will transform your story and puppet presentation. We will create puppets and a story to practice artistic presentation with. You will go home with a beautiful ‘theater’ and a story to tell. Contact Suzanne for further information.
Wet Felting Story Tapestries – California location – November 17-18
Join us for this popular and colorful workshop on creating story/fairytale tapestries using a wet-felting technique that allows for lots of details in the picture making process. These magical tapestries can hang on your classroom wall, or the bedroom of your child. They can also help you tell a tale, giving a soft visual focus for children’s eyes and soul.