A textbook for teachers and students of theatre in education which shows how puppetry can be taught in classrooms through educational strategies and lesson plans to open which can expand the syllabus and provide new and exciting ways of learning.

Winner of a Nancy Staub Award for Excellence in Publications on the Art of Puppetry Connecting the art of puppetry with deeper learning for children, this workbook offers a comprehensive guide on how to bring puppetry into the classroom. It places puppet design, construction and manipulation at the heart of arts education and as a key contributor to ‘manual intelligence’ in young people. Packed with practical, illustrated exercises using materials and technology readily available to teachers, Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education shows you how the craft can enliven and enrich any classroom environment, and offers helpful links between puppetry, the curriculum and other aspects of education. Informed by developments in assessments and cognitive research, this book features approachable puppetry activities, educational strategies and lesson plans for teachers that expand any syllabus and unlock new methods of learning, including: - Making puppets from basic materials and everyday objects - Puppetizing children’s literature - Puppetizing science - Film-making with puppets Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education is a core text for arts education courses as well as an essential addition to any teacher’s arsenal of teaching strategies.

"Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education is breezily written, in a style that is assuring and engaging. The intended audience for this book is the elementary educator, but the methods presented and the lessons are highly adaptable and could be used to teach anyone with an interest in puppetry and a desire to learn how to manipulate a puppet and endow it with personality." - Youth Theatre Journal

"Covering the essentials of puppetry with activities suitable for adults and children of any age, Smith's guide is easy to follow, thought provoking and a handy reference book for anyone with a professional or personal interest in puppetry." - Drama & Theatre Magazine

"Johanna Smith has created a beautiful resource for teachers, artists and anyone else interested in exploring the art of puppetry with children. Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education: Head, Hands and Heart is equal parts how-to and inspiration, with an emphasis on how puppetry allows us to be more connected as collaborators while activating learning through many disciplines…It is clear that she embraces the joy that puppetry can bring to a classroom…If you are an educator or puppeteer that enjoys reflecting on the art of teaching, the experience of creative play, and how to bring the craft of our ancestors to life in a contemporary classroom or in your community, Johanna Smith’s book should be in your collection." - Puppetry Journal

"[Johanna] Smith's approach to creation and performance reminds educators, parents, and the everyman that puppetry is an accessible and dynamic means to immersive learning. In an age of standardized testing, Ms. Smith's offers innovative assessments that change the way a classroom can be examined and enjoyed by everyone." - Elena Velasco, Artistic Director of the Convergence Theatre and Assistant Professor of Theatre, Bowie State University, USA