Chin, Oliver. The Year of the Dog, Tales of the Chinese Zodiac. San Francisco, CA: Immedium, 2006

Daniel was born on New Year’s Day. Shortly after his birth, Lin, his family’s neighbor, came to visit. Lin and Daniel became best friends and loved to explore their neighborhood and the countryside.

Daniel’s parents reminded him that as a dog, it was his duty to protect Lin from strangers especially during their adventures.

One day, Lin and her parents and Daniel and his parents went on a picnic in the forest. Lin wandered off and Daniel went to look for her.

Daniel found Lin just as a tiger loomed in front of her. Frightened, the animal roared and scared Daniel and Lin. But Daniel remembered his duty as a dog and barked loudly at the tiger.

Their parents heard Daniel and came running and shouting. Their noise frightened the tiger who ran way. Everyone praised Daniel for his bravery.

Lin hugged Daniel. “You are my best friend!”

SHADOW THEATER PROJECT BELOW INCLUDING LIST OF CHARACTERS:

SHADOW THEATER

SHADOW PUPPET CHARACTERS:

Daniel the dog

Lin, a girl

Lin’s parents

Daniel’s parents

tiger

MATERIALS FOR SHADOW PUPPET THEATER:

(1) Large cereal box 13 ½” x 7 ½”

Scissors

Box cutters

Masking tape or packaging tape

White glue or double-stick tape

Colored papers, i.e. construction paper, scrap booking papers, or material like craft foam or felt

Tracing paper or translucent papers

Small lamp

PROJECT: SHADOW PUPPET THEATRE

1. Measure the large cereal box and cut out the back. Tape down the sides of the box.
2. Cut out a window in the front leaving 2” width wise and 1” lengthwise.  Discard   cardboard scraps or save them to use for another time.
3. Select papers or felt or craft foam to cover the front and sides of the stage. Be colorful. The top, bottom, sides and the front of the stage do not have to match. Contrast colors and/or patterns.
4. Select papers or felt or craft foam to cover the front and sides of the stage. Be colorful. The top, bottom, sides and the front of the stage do not have to match. Contrast colors and/or patterns.
5. Measure the width and length of the window. Select either tracing paper or translucent paper and measure and cut it a slightly bigger than the window. Glue behind the stage so the ends of the paper won’t show.
6. Test the lamp: does it work? The lamp will illuminate the puppets from behind.
7. Add more embellishments such as columns or curtains.
8. The Shadow Puppet Theater is (almost) ready to go!

MATERIALS FOR THE DOG:

White glue

Popsicle sticks

Dark paper

Scissors

Free clip art websites

PROJECT FOR MAKING THE DOG:

1. Using free downloadable clip art, look up easy to follow instruction for tracing and cutting out the animals.
2. Glue to a Popsicle stick and recreate the stories for friends and family. Charge a small fee and open the plays to the neighborhood.
3. As a challenge, rewrite the endings to the stories or add or drop minor characters to make the stories unique!
4. Act out the stories for friends and family!