How to make a talking puppet

This little guy is easy to make and stars in his own fun story. The story will help you remember how to fold the puppet.  The model comes from The New Origami, by Steve and Megumi Biddle.  They have a story to go along with it, but I like mine better.

As you fold and tell, make sure that the viewers can get a good look at each change as you go along.

 

Instructions:  Start with a square of origami paper, any color, white side up. Fold it in half like a book.

Story:  One day I was at home with nothing to do. I heard a knock at the door. I went to the door and opened it, but no one was there. (Open and shut the paper like a door.)

Instructions:  Open the paper flat and fold the right and left top corners down to meet the middle foldline. Now it's a house.

Story:  I looked all around the outside of the house, but didn't see anybody. When I turned around to go back inside, I saw something on the front porch.

Instructions:  Fold the top point down to the bottom edge. Now it's an envelope.

Story:  There was an envelope!  Somebody had left me a letter. I picked it up and read the message.  It said:

Climb the hill behind your house,
There you'll find a friend.
Not a dog, or cat, or mouse,
Just fun without an end!
 
Instructions:  Fold the right and the left corners down so that what was the top edge now lies along the middle foldline. Now it's a hill. Show the hill to your audience.

Story:  Fun without an end! That sounded good to me, so I ran right around the back of the house. There was a little hill there. I often climbed up and and played on it, but I had never seen anything unusual there. I wondered what was waiting for me at the top. I started to climb up the hill.

Instructions:  Open up both the flaps that you just folded down to make the hill. Fold the top edge of each flap down so that it lays along the fold line created by the last fold. These two folds make the creature's ears. But don't show the creature yet. Instead, hold up the backside of the model to show the little house where the creature lives.

Story:  When I reached the top of the hill I looked all around, searching for whoever sent me the note. Off to one side I saw a little low house, like a doghouse. I'd never seen that here before. I wondered if there could be something, or someone, inside.

Instructions:  Fold up the lower two corners so that the bottom edges lie along the line formed by the center colored portion. Tuck the corners of the lower folds under the upper ones.

Story:  I looked inside the little house. I saw some kind of bundle. I wasn't sure what it was. (Turn the model over and over to show how it looks like a wrapped up bundle.) So I gave it a poke.

Instructions:  All you have to do now is draw two eyes on the face. Your talking puppet is complete! Hold it at the sides, under the ears, and move your hands in and out to make it talk.

Story:  All of a sudden the thing opened its eyes and spoke to me!  It said, "Do you like songs?"  "Yes, I like songs," I said. "Well, sing along with me then!" And it started to sing.

(Introduce a fun song, or use the puppet to introduce another story, or any other activity.)

This is an easy model for children to learn. Once they have made their talking puppet, they can add other features if they want to, like a nose, a tongue, hair, eyebrows, etc.