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Animals in Motion

Diana MacKenzie

Recently in The Studio we invited guests to experiment with making moveable animal puppets. We used chopsticks, coffee stirrers, cardstock paper, wire, yarn, and lots of fun furry and feathery materials. This family made birds and a hopping rabbit! Below is a beautiful pair of galloping horses by two sisters.

Animals in Motion at The Eric Carle Museum

After cutting out your animal shapes and decorating them with fabric, paper and drawings, we used hole punches and string to make moving arms or legs. Connect the animal to a chopstick handle with wire or string. Or, tape a chopstick to the back of the animal’s body.

Animals in Motion at The Eric Carle Museum

Some guests made pair of friendly giraffes marching side by side…

Animals in Motion at The Eric Carle Museum

One slithery, bejeweled snake…

Animals in Motion at The Eric Carle Museum

…and a few more feathery friends.

Animals in Motion at The Eric Carle Museum

I hope you try to make a moving animal puppet of your favorite animal!

Authors

Diana, smiling wearing an orange scarf and brown shirt.

Diana MacKenzie

Public Art Program Educator from 2007-2016, Diana has a BFA in Printmaking from Syracuse University and creates mixed-media works inspired by her travels, combining her interests in printmaking and sculpture. She received her M.A.T. from Mount Holyoke College in June 2017, and continues teaching visual arts to children and adults.