The Handwork teacher

I am a mother to two beautiful girls and I teach Handwork and Fine Arts in our local waldorf charter school in Arizona.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

6th grade or Kindergarten teacher project


cotton tubing from medical supply store




fold 4 corners into the center and attach to the center . this will make it about 1/2 the size you thought it would be. but gives weight to the marionette.





This year I will have my 6th grade put on 2 puppet shows.

The invisible one

There was once a large village situated on the border of a lake there lived an old man, a widower with three daughters. The youngest of those was a small humble girl who did nothing for herself but always served others. Because of this, her eldest sister took advantage of her and treated her with great cruelty. The second sister was somewhat kinder, and sometimes stood up for her younger sister. Now because of all the hard work the younger sister did, her skin was often dirty and burnt from the sun so she was given the name Oochuwuki, the Rough-Skin Girl.

When her father returned home from the day, he would ask why the child was so dirty, and her sister would promptly say that it was the fault of the girl herself, for even though the father had forbidden her from going close to the fire, she had done so anyway, and had fallen in the soot. The father would shake his head, and wonder what would become of his youngest daughter. But he loved her greatly and often brought her flowers and sweet honey, things that his older daughter did not care for.

At one end of the village was a lodge in which lived a being who was always invisible. He was a mighty hunter, handsome and strong. He had a sister named Nukumi, who attended to all his wants, and it was known that any girl who could see him might marry him. As it happens, many tried but none of these girls could ever see him.

One day, it occurred to the two older sisters that they should go and try their luck at seeing the Invisible One.

The eldest sister wore her finest clothing and took great effort to look her best. She walked to the lodge of the Invisible one and there was greeted by Nukumi who welcomed her into their wigwam. When the sun was starting to set, they walked down to the lake and there they waited.

"Do you see my brother, he is coming now around the lake?" Asked Nukumi

"Certainly," replied the elder sister

“What is his bow made of” asked Nukumi

"Of birch ." Replied the elder sister

"Very well, let us return to the wigwam."

When they entered the wigwam, Nukumi asked her guest not to take a certain seat, for it was the seat of the Invisible One. After they had cooked supper, the elder sister waited with great curiosity to see the invisible one eat. Soon enough she got proof that he was a real person, for as he took off his moccasins they became visible, and his sister hung them up. She also could see food leaving his dish and disappear in mid-air, but beyond that she would see nothing. After this the Elder sister left the wigwan with head held low and she walked home.

The Middle sister went the next morning, also dressed in her best and hoping to win the chance to see the Invisible one.

Nukumi welcomed her guest and again when the sun was starting to set, they walked down to the lake and there they waited.

"Do you see my brother, he is coming now around the lake?" said Nukumi

"Certainly," replied the middle sister

“What is his bow made of” asked Nukumi

"Of Pine ." Replied the middle sister

"Very well, let us return to the wigwam."

And just like her elder sister she saw the moccasins appear out of thin air and the food disappear from the bowl.

The Middle sister left and slowly walked home. When she got home she told her sister’s that she had failed to see the invisible one and that only a person who was pure of heart could see him. With this she told her younger sister, oochuwuki, to go and try. Their elder sister only laughed and said if she couldn’t see him then no one could.

But the next morning Oochuwuki, made her way to the Invisible one’s lodge. She did not have any special outfits or shell necklaces to ware, but she was light heart and full of love.

Nukumi welcomed her guest and again when the sun was starting to set, they walked down to the lake and there they waited.

"Do you see my brother, he is coming now around the lake?" said Nukumi

"barely can I see him," replied Oochuwuki

“What is his bow made of” asked Nukumi

"Of rainbow wood ." Replied Oochuwuki Nukumi was surprised and asked one more question just to make sure

“and what is his string make of?’

“ of the milky way” replied Oochuwuki

"Very well, let us return to the wigwam for you can see him."

When they reached the wigwam, the Invisible One's sister took the strange clothes off Oochuwuki, and washed her with water from a special jar. Under her gentle hands, the young woman's scars disappeared, leaving her skin shining and smooth. She also combed Oochuwuki 's hair, and as she did, it grew to her waist, black and gleaming as a raven's wing and ready for braiding. Oochuwuki had not been treated with such kindness since her mother had passed on, and the joy in her face transformed it into one of surpassing beauty.

Then the sister opened a chest and took out a beautiful wedding outfit, and asked Oochuwuki to wear it. She had just put it on when a deep voice said, "Greetings, my sister."

Oochuwuki turned to the entrance and stared at the magnificent young hunter. She saw surprise light his face when their eyes met.

"Greetings, my brother," said the sister. "You are discovered at last!"

The Invisible One walked over to Oochuwuki and took her hands in his. "For years I have waited to find a woman of pure heart and brave spirit. Only such a one could see me. And now that I have found you, you shall be my bride."

~*~

And so they were married. And from then on, Oochuwuki had a new name: the Lovely One.

5 comments:

RunninL8 said...

Fantastic puppet! Such rich and wonderful colors.
And thanks so much for sharing that great story!

Lisa Anne said...

Very nice, thanks for sharing with everyone! The silks are very beautiful. A kindergarten teacher I worked with showed me that if you wet the silks you can iron them dry on a pretty high setting without damaging them,very quickly. I find silks that have been ironed first make a much nicer doll (and look better on a nature table). I think a lot of people are afraid to iron silk because it might burn.
Your students are lucky to have such an enthusiastic teacher. You clearly love them and your work:)

Teaching Handwork said...

yes Ironing is a VERY good idea

woolladyfelter said...

I love that you found gauze tubing from a medical store!! Love it. Good luck with your first classes - I will be at the beach with my family for two weeks and then I dive in to classes. Chat when I get back...

Lizz said...

Glorious!