for upcoming  rod puppet workshop in Fair Oaks california on the Four Season Rod Puppet CLICK HERE

New Year Story – The Four Brothers

an old tale adapted for puppetry by

Suzanne Down

It was early in the year, and still cold snowy winter.  A poor mother and her daughter lived in a small cottage in a village near the great woods.  One morning, Mother called to Elyena and said, ‘dear daughter, go to our neighbors house and ask if they have food to spare, for we now have nothing left to eat.’  Elyena put on her warmest winter clothes and went to the neighbor’s with her basket.
Elyena knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

After a time the neighbor grandmother opened the door just a little crack to see who was there.  Elyena began to sing to her.

‘Good morning kind friend on this day so fair,
I’m asking if you have spare food to share.
It is so cold, and our food is no more,
Please if you can, bring some food to the door.’

Elyena held her basket out, but the grandmother said, ‘no, no, we have too little to eat.  Sorry, we cannot fill your basket at all, at all.’   And she closed the door tight.  Elyena went all through the village knocking on doors, and asking at each house,

”Good morning kind friend on this day so fair,
I’m asking if you have spare food to share.
It is so cold, and our food is no more,
Please if you can, bring some food to the door.’

But no one had food to spare.  No one at all, at all.

Elyena did not want to take an empty basket home to her good mother, so she went into the woods to look for nuts and roots hidden under the snow.  On the way she found a little mouse whose tail was caught under a stone.  Elyena gently freed him, and the mouse said, ‘ thank you kind child, I have been trapped here for a long time.  May good fortune find you’.  Then he scampered away through the snowy forest.

As she wandered on, she noticed a tree whose branches were so weighed down
with snow, she thought they would break.  So she shook the tree until it could
stand up straight again.  ‘Oh my,’ said the tree, ‘that feels much better, thank
you dear child, may good fortune find you.’

Elyena went on through the forest, and saw a little robin shivering from the cold.
She picked the robin up and wrapped her carefully in her warm woolen hat until
the robin stopped shivering.  ‘Thank you dear child,’ sang the robin, ‘I feel warm
enough to fly now.  May good fortune find you.’
And the bird flapped her wings and flew away.

Elyena had now walked deep into the woods where she knew a hazelnut tree grew.  ‘Perhaps I will find nuts here,’ she thought to herself.  So she started to dig under the snow finding nuts and filling her basket.  As she was digging here and there a kind old man with a long white beard  appeared dressed all in white.
He spoke to her with a voice as sweet as honey.

‘I am the Grandfather of the Year.  My four sons and I have seen how thoughtful
you are. My children each have a question for you.’

One brother came all dressed in light green.  He smiled at Elyena and asked her,
‘what is Spring like dear child?’

Elyena answered, ‘oh Spring is fresh and new and full of crocuses and daffodils
and baby birds. I love Spring!’  The green brother smiled at Elyena and nodded.

Then a second brother came all dressed in yellow, and asked,
‘what is Summer like dear child?’

‘Oh,’ said Elyena, ‘Summer is a time to run and play in sunshine, plant a garden
of flowers, and chase butterflies and fireflies.  I love Summer!’  The yellow brother
smiled and nodded.

Then a third brother appeared dressed in orange and reds.
He asked Elyena, ‘what is Autumn like dear child?’

‘Autumn,’ said Elyena, ‘is full of dancing leaves like flames, apples and pumpkins,
and it is harvest time.  I love Autumn!’  The orange and red brother smiled and
nodded.

Then the Grandfather of the Year’s fourth son appeared all dressed in
pale blues.  ‘What is Winter like dear child,’ he asked.

‘Winter snow sparkles like the stars’, replied Elyena.  ‘Our cheeks get rosy as
we make snowmen, and we light candles in the house, and read books.
I love Winter!’  This blue brother also smiled and nodded.

Then the four brothers and the Grandfather of the Year who stood before her all disappeared.  Elyena thought she had been dreaming, but when she looked
in her basket of old nuts, they had turned to diamonds, rubies, and gold!

When she returned home her mother rejoiced.  They were never poor and hungry again!.

]]> http://junipertreepuppets.com/a-new-year-story-the-four-brothers-adapted-for-puppetry/feed/ 0 http://junipertreepuppets.com/how-the-robin-got-his-red-breast-adapted-for-puppetry/ http://junipertreepuppets.com/how-the-robin-got-his-red-breast-adapted-for-puppetry/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:51:03 +0000 Suzanne http://junipertreepuppets.com/?p=1163 How the Robin Got it’s Red Breast

(Adapted for puppetry from a French Christmas Legend)

The north wind doth blow
And we shall have snow
And what will poor robin do then
Poor thing.
He’ll sit in the barn
To keep himself warm
And hide his head under his wing
Poor thing.

Late one winter’s night a lone robin flew seeking shelter. The north winds blew icy and bitter cold.
The little bird looked out over the land, but saw no place to find safety.
So he flew on, his wings covered with ice.
After a time he saw a little light ahead. It seemed to come from a small barn.
As he flew closer he saw it was a stable. At least it would protect him from the winds, so he flew in the open door and settled on the top-most rafter. He fluffed his feathers and nestled down to rest and warm himself.

The north wind doth blow………………..And we shall have snow
And what will poor robin do then…….Poor thing.
He’ll sit in the barn……………………………To keep himself warm
And hide his head under his wing…….Poor thing.

He soon fell asleep.
Down below in the stable was quite a sight to see. A woman was tenderly holding a newborn baby.
She and her husband had also been seeking protection from the cold and had also found the stable.
But it was still too cold for the little child. The father had started a small fire, and gone outside
to find some dry firewood. The mother, named Mary, was blowing on the embers to keep the flame going.
But it was hard to do this while holding and caring for the baby.
In the far corner of the stable were three sleeping animals, an ox, a horse, and Mary’s own little donkey.
Mary looked at the ox and sang to him.

Dear ox, dear ox, so good and strong
Help me on this night so long.
Breathe and blow, breathe and blow
On this fire with embers low.
Keep this flame to make us warm
Help us from all Winter’s harm.

But ox had worked hard in the fields all day and was sound asleep and did not hear her.
Mary then sang out to the horse.

Dear horse, dear horse so good and strong
Help me on this night so long.
Breathe and blow, breathe and blow
On this fire with embers low
Keep this flame to make us warm
Help us from all winter’s harm.

But the horse had drawn a heavy cart to market and now was dreaming of sweet carrots to eat.
He did not hear her call.
Then Mary sang to her own little donkey.

Dear donkey, dear donkey, so good and strong
Help me on this night so long.
Breathe and blow, breathe and blow
On this fire with embers low.
Keep this flame to make us warm
Help us from all winter’s harm.

But the little donkey had carried Mary all day seeking shelter.
He was tired and sleeping deeply. He did not hear her song.

‘Oh what will I do,’ worried Mary, as she struggled to keep her little one warm.
She had not seen the Robin who had flown in and settled on the rafters above.
But the Robin had heard her song, and he flew down close to the embers and flapped and flapped his wings, and the flame grew and grew to warm them all.
Robin kept the fire going until the father, named Joseph, returned with enough wood
to warm the whole stable for the rest of the night.
Mary picked up the little Robin and said:

Thank you, thank you robin so kind,
But what is this on you I find?
For on robin’s breast was a rosy red glow from the fire.
The little baby opened his eyes and looked at the robin for a long time.
A sweet smile came to his mouth.
And this is the magic and wonder of how, from that night in the stable on,
all robins were given a beautiful rosy red breast
to remind us all of the robin’s kindness that glorious night long ago,
and how he helped keep the Child of Light warm and safe from winter’s cold

This tale is from our story newsletter from an earlier December.  It is adapted to use with puppets.  to sign up for our free story newsletter please go to

http://junipertreepuppets.com

you will see the newsletter sign up button!  Give it a try!

You can make this  sweet robin from this tutorial

click here

An early childhood professional development workshop

for teachers, parents, homeschool, grandparents, caregivers

Feb. 18,19                Fair Oaks, CA

Saturday 9:00 – 4:00          Sunday 9:00    – 1:00

Nature, in all its wisdom gives children a deep sense of wonder and reliability. This workshop will look at weaving these two gifts together. We will focus on the amazing Rod Puppet.   This puppet comes to life more than any other with its possibilities for subtle gesture and intimacy .  I call it the ‘heart’ puppet because of this.  Hearts connect between viewer and puppet.

In this workshop we will look at what makes nature stories and puppetry so inviting and so healing.  We will create a Rod Puppet for all seasons – your choice – Mother Earth, Elf, Old Gnome etc., one  you can use to develop stories through the year.  If you want one special puppet for telling stories that open the door to the four seasons for the children, this is the one!!

Everyone is welcome, beginners and experienced enthusiasts.

Suzanne Down is Director of Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts. The school offers a one year  part time training in Puppet Theater. The training has a pedagogical, artistic, and therapeutic focus.  Suzanne travels internationally sharing her love for story and puppetry in workshops and conferences      http://junipertreepuppets.com

Weekend cost $150. plus $20 materials

Pre-registration required – please contact Suzanne Down for info  at: suzanne@junipertreepuppets.com

Please bring a bag lunch on Sat.

Hope to see you there!!!

A Workshop for Everyone!

come join us for a delightful class on creating magic pictures with wool

all levels are very welcome!

these charming pictures are perfect for a child’s room, or to inspire a classroom

locations:

Jan 1, 2012 – Vancouver, BC
Feb. 25 2012 – San Francisco, CA
April 27, 2012 – Asheville, N.C.
May 12, 2012 – Des Moines, Iowa
May 5, 2012 – Boulder, CO
May 18, 2012 – Spokane WA

to book your own community or ECE workshop or for details of the workshops

contact suzanne@junipertreepuppets.com

December Advent Story  – The Magic Elf Garden

It was December, snow lay deep and crisp all over  the land.
Finn, who was 8 years old, and his little brother Timmy, had
been sledding on the hill behind the big red barn.  Whoooosh,
whooosh, they flew down the hill on their sled.  Then up and up
they pulled the old red tobaggen until they were at the top of
the hill, ready to fly… whooooosh, whooooosh, down the hill
again.

Both boys had very rosy cheeks and cold toes, when Mama
brought them a big thermos of hot cocoa to warm them up.
‘Come into the barn where it is warmer and drink your cocoa
and warm your toes by the little wood stove,’ she said to them.
So they sat on old blankets spread over hay bales and drank til
their feet were happy and warm.

‘It is time to come inside for supper boys,’ said Mama, ‘Timmy,
come with me, and Finn, go get the sled and put it away for
the night’.

When they came out of the barn, the sun was already setting.
Finn climbed the hill to get the sled.  But before he slid down
the hill to the barn, he saw in the distace, through the bare
trees, a lot of twinkling lights.

‘I wonder what that could be,’ Finn thought, and he decided to sled
down the other side of the hill toward the lights, and away form the
barn and house.

Whoooooosh, he sped silent and  swift down the hill.  As he got
to the bottom of the hill, he leaned his sled against a tree and
quielty walked closer to the lights.  He hid himself behind a large
pine tree and peeked through the branches.

There, in a circle of trees, was a gathering of elves!
They were dancing around a spiral path of boughs that was lit with
candles all along the path.  They were singing and having a
wonderful time.

‘Why this is just like my school’s spiral garden,’ Finn whispered to
himself! ‘ But this is one for elves!’

He watched as one by one the elves danced along the candlelit
path to the very center of the spiral where a particularly large
and lovely candle was used to light their own smaller candles.
Everything was very much smaller than his school’s advent spiral
celebration.  This one was elf size!

Suddenly he could not help himself, he sneezed!  Achooo Achooo!

The elves stopped singing and dancing and quickly hid themselves.

Finn slowly stepped out from his hiding place and called to them.
‘Don’t be afraid, I am a friend.’  Then he sat down in the snow and
started to sing a song he knew  from his  school’s advent spiral.

‘In the stars is Mary wandering…….’

An elderly elf with a long white beard and tall red cap bravely came
closer.  ‘I know that song too,’ said the elf to Finn.  Then he hopped
right onto Finn’s knee and started singing with him!

‘In the stars is Mary wandering….’ they sang out with gusto!

Slowly, slowly, all the other elves came closer and closer and soon
everyone was singing together.  The candles shone out and the stars
came out and twinkled brightly.

Finn smiled, as he had never before heard such a heavenly singing.
Then he remebered!

‘Oh, I must get home,’ he said!  My Mama will be wondering
where I am!’

All the elves waved goodbye and watched Finn gather his sled
and climb up, up, up the hill.

From the very top Finn could see far and wide in all directions.
He saw the red barrn, and beyond that his house with lights in the
windows, looking cozy and familiar.

Then he turned to have another look at the elve’s twinkling candle
light, but there was not a single light to be seen.
It was all as dark as the darket night.

He stood and listened for a long time.
It was silent, a silent night indeed.

Finn turned and rode his sled down the hill toward the barn.
He never again saw the elve’s magic, but he had a story to tell his
Mama and Timmy!  And what a wonderful story it was.

The End

Boulder, Colorado

Summer days are here and this newsletter has a lazy day story about a ladybug’s adventures.  A sweet story for  young children.  I remember going for a walk with my daughter up a steep hill.  We stopped to rest on a log and saw thousands of lady bugs.  We obviously came upon a newly born nest of them.  We named the spot ‘ladybug hill’.

Here is the link to the story newsletter for June 2011 - CLICK HERE

To sign up to receive the free story newsletter go to Juniper Tree Puppets Website

Touched into Being – The Mother Archetype and Sense of Touch

Creating a Mother and Baby Rod Puppet

West Coast Workshop Tour of 3-day Professional Development Intensives

When a child is born we need to help them find their physical boundaries.  This is determined by the skin that informs us of our human form.  It is not an instant or easy process!  Think about how soft, porous, and delicate newborn skin is.  The infant is more one with the world.  One way we can help them become content within their skin is through the sense of healthy touch.  As a mother swaddles the baby in a snug wrap, and cradles the child in her confident, loving, reliable embrace, the child begins to find his way within his ‘boundary’, within himself.

This workshop explores the sense of touch and why it is the profound foundation to all the interactions between self and world, self and the other.  We will look at the Mother as Archetype and ask what qualities does the child need from the ‘Mother’ to become whole.  We will weave these two essences, touch and mother together, as we create a Mother and Baby Rod Puppet as a sensory and soul support to all children throughout early childhood and beyond.

Join us at one of the following locations!

Marin County – Mill Valley, CA – June 19, 20, 21

Santa Cruz, CA -  June 23, 24, 25

Sacramento, CA – June 28, 29, 30

Portland, OR – July 2, 3, 4

Boulder, CO - July 22, 23, 24

cost for the Mother Archetype 3-day professional development workshop – $275 plus $25 materials.

***

Other Summer Events:

July 10 – 15 Advanced Therapeutic ECE training – Denver, CO

July 29 – August 10 NEW SERIES Certificate Puppetry Training, Boulder, CO

August 12 – 19  New Series Lifeways ECE Training  Boulder, CO

August 26, 27, 28  The Larkspur School of Felting Arts -  Boulder, CO – First Annual Felting Festival

contact suzanne@junipertreepuppets.com for further info.

]]> http://junipertreepuppets.com/west-coast-summer-workshop-tour-the-mother-archetype-and-sense-of-touch/feed/ 0 http://junipertreepuppets.com/the-art-of-finger-puppet-theater-vancouver-bc-workshop-april-1617-2011-photos/ http://junipertreepuppets.com/the-art-of-finger-puppet-theater-vancouver-bc-workshop-april-1617-2011-photos/#comments Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:53:07 +0000 Suzanne http://junipertreepuppets.com/?p=1100 The Wisdom and Art of Finger Puppet Theater

Vancouver BC workshop April 16, 17 2011

Finger Puppet Theater for early childhood is a much overlooked goldmine.  Not only is it a simple theater style, easy for teachers and parents to create for their children, but children are simply delighted with the miniature worlds of imagination they create.  My instant stage is a piece of silk or soft cloth that I put over my arm and hand, then a puppet goes over the silk on my finger.  Voila, a world of color, my own physical hand is hidden, and a landscape arises to help the puppet tell it’s tale.  Simple, elegant, easy….

But behind the sweet story is a wealth of deeper wisdom.  When we enliven our hands and fingers with a story imagination, and use a finger puppet to make that imagination come to life, we stimulate the speech center in the brain in a meaningful way.  Our finger movements and gestures are connected to the speech center in the brain.  We ‘lift’ the language experience for the young child not only through our story voice, but through the awakened imagination in the finger play.

Join us for a weekend workshop to explore the creativity as well as the hidden meaning in Finger Puppet Theater.

cost – $145 plus $15 materials for puppet making.

contact suzanne@junipertreepuppets.com for more information.

Our Finger Puppet Book guides you on how to present little stories in an artistic way, plus many patterns and poem stories to help you get started.  http://junipertreepuppets.com/books/ email to order

Workshop for teachers and parents

April 2       Sat. 9-5       Starbright Preschool     Austin, TX

In this workshop we will look at why and how puppetry is so meaningful and magical for our young children.  Discover what happens to the inner life of a child when they experience a puppet show that breathes with the cycle of the year, understands the development of the child, and opens the heart to the world of story.

We will explore the Lap Puppet Theater, one of the best and most accessible puppet styles to use with young children.  Through demonstration and hands-on exercises, we will all work on creating little stories with puppets.  Our focus will be on what makes puppetry for home and school delightful as well as meaningful and of healing value.  We will make a wool roving Mother Earth lap puppet and the characters to tell Little Brown Bulb, a sweet spring story.

*******************************

Suzanne Down is Director of Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts, which offers a certificate training program in Storytelling and Puppetry Arts.  She has been a puppeteer for over 30 years and trains adults internationally. Go to http://junipertreepuppets.com for free story newsletter sign up!

For information and pre-registration contact Kira at (512) 441-5253

Workshop cost – $70  plus $15 material fee