THEATER, MUSIC, DANCE...
Warm-up activities…
These exercises might be similar to what you have found through your P.E. teachers and OT/PT providers, but they are fun more theater-based ones - warming up our body and your creativity at the same time. Some the students will recognize from my class! If you did the warm-ups on the "ROUTINE" page you can skip this step and go right an activity below!
Here are some of my favorites:
​
​
​
​
THEATER BOOK I WROTE!
I was going to sell this online at Teachers Pay Teachers, but I think I will make it available to all in these times!
Making puppets and masks…
There are so many puppet and mask tutorials online!
-Before you start making/watching puppet videos, here is a video I made about the four basic puppet types!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSS9XEZ7oxc&t=29s
​
- Here are two very basic tutorials on how to make stick puppets. They are pdfs you can download and use. The first one requires some drawing skills. The second one is more about tracing if you have motor issues, etc.
- And here is a simple "JUNK MAIL MONSTER" tutorial I made to help kids make a hand puppet at home that might not have any real materials:
​
- Wonderspark puppets are making a bunch of DIY puppet tutorials available online. All are designed to be done with stuff you should have around the house:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV0QWk5NyQorPg3UJ8quH3ya6p0RIXVrG
​
- Paper Heart Puppets has also made three (so far) videos available for puppet-making using paper and cardboard and other things you should have lying around the house!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVd047U-Ndd18Ku0LKQ6veg
​
- This teacher has made bunch of tutorials available online. For the best one for the little ones, please scroll down and click on "FREE super simple mini toy theater " - all instructions, template and a video walk-through are there!
https://www.inanimacy.com/pages/assembly-resources
​
- This video has a few puppet ideas, but some do require certain supplies.
​
​
Making performance...
There are some great theater companies putting activities and demos online...
- The New Victory Theater has this great thing called Art Breaks, first week is percussion:
https://newvictory.org/new-victory-arts-break-percussion-week/
​
- The next week is a dance/movement/choreography:
https://newvictory.org/new-victory-arts-break-just-move-week/
​
- And the next week is Puppetry! YAY!
https://newvictory.org/new-victory-arts-break-puppetry-week/
​
- A fellow theater teacher is making these great spirit week challenge videos. They generate curiosity, creativity and active participation. Have some fun with these - you won't regret it!
CRAZY HAT CHALLENGE / SUPERHERO CHALLENGE / SPORTS DAY CHALLENGE
​
- The Center for Puppetry Arts is making a lot of their shows and workshops available via zoom, but you must tune in at a specific time:
https://puppet.org/center-for-puppetry-arts-home
​
Lincoln Center Education has an online "pop up classroom site":
http://www.lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home/show/lincoln-center-pop-up-classroom-1
​
​
Watching theater, puppetry and music…
A lot of streaming services and online portals have theater and music to watch from home for free. For an activity, try watching one of the videos below and then drawing a picture inspired by the performance you saw!
- If you are a Netflix subscriber, search for Shrek! The Musical!
- Trusty Sidekick Theater (a theater company that makes work specifically for children with ASD) has made their shows available to watch on their website:
https://www.trustysidekick.org
​
- Wonderspark Puppets (who provided many of the puppetry classes above) have made some of their shows free online!
https://www.wondersparkpuppets.com/free-shows-nyc
​
A lot of content is being stored on Puppet Showplace's website, so cool!
https://www.puppetshowplace.org/connect
​
​
Technical theater ideas and resources...
Maybe your students are more into the design aspects of theater rather than performing...
​
- Here is a fun costume design challenge!
​
- And here is a props design challenge!
​
- Here are some resources and study guides from Syracuse Stage. They're a bit more intense, but for older kids they could be great!
https://syracusestage.org/study-guides.php
​