Here's a project my kids and I did on our snow day...it looks like an art project, but it's also a performing arts project.  A story book we were reading mentioned marionettes, and the kids asked "What are they?" so I suggested we try to make some on this snowy day.  It turned out to be quite a project.  The kids are planning to do their puppet performance for Daddy tomorrow after school.

You'll need:  Some thin cardboard or posterboard (we used pieces that were saved from the inside of sheet sets), a hole punch, scissors, brads, markers, yarn or string, craft sticks (popsicle sticks).  If you're going to make scenery too, you'll need a large piece of cardboard and a large piece of paper.

From the cardboard, cut shapes for a head and body.  Talk to your kids about what they might want their marionette to look like--is it a person or an animal?  What shape head, what size,...  My 5-year old wanted to draw the shapes for her pieces with a pencil and cut them out.  My 3-year old had a hard time cutting the cardboard, so I just let him direct the shape & size.  You can decide what's best for your kids.

Then, cut four strips of cardboard to use as the legs, and four pieces for the arms.  Use a hole punch and brads to attach the legs and arms to the body.  We glued the head to the body, but you could use a brad here too if you wanted it to move at the neck.

Let your kids decorate their marionette as they like.  (You could talk about it if they need help--Where do the eyes go, what kind of expression will they have, etc.)

Glue two craft sticks together in the middle so they look like an "+".

Now, punch a hole in the top of the head and on each hand.  Tie a piece of yarn through each hole.  You'll also tie a piece of yarn to the knees.  Now you have 5 pieces of yarn in all. 

Attach these to the craft sticks--tie the head to the middle and the hands & knees to each of the 4 ends.  You may have to adjust the lengths so that the hands & feet fall nicely.

For the scenery, we used a piece from a roll of paper and attached it to a big piece of cardboard for stability.  My kids talked to each other about what they wanted to draw, agreed on a plan, and then drew it.  It was quite a nice collaboration, and as they drew they talked about what their puppets might be doing in the scene.

Now, you're ready for a show...