Puppet Pals

School:: Vineyards Elementary
Subject:: Special Needs Students
Teacher:: Lori Schwab
Students Impacted:: 5
Grade:: Pre-K
Date:: September 15, 2020

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

Naples Luxury Builders - $181.48

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 5

My students were very excited when I introduced the puppets throughout the school year. Due to COVID restrictions, the students were unable to play with the puppets together in a whole group setting. However, I used different puppets while instructing different subjects. Each student was also given a choice of a puppet to keep with them at their work station. When I instructed during whole group with the puppets, several students payed closer attention then they normally would when I’m instructing alone. For one student, she sought her puppet for comfort when upset. When alone with his puppet during quiet time, another student who has limited verbal communication, appeared to be having a conversation with his puppet. I enjoyed incorporating the puppets into my daily instruction and was thrilled by the student’s reactions. I hope to continue to use the puppets in my classroom and learn new ways for them to enhance my student’s educational experiences.

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Teaching piggy shapes

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Getting comfort from her friend

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Talking to Goofy

Original Grant Overview

Goal

To keep students engaged and assist with increasing verbal communication skills.

What will be done with my students

The puppets will be utilized throughout the school day during instructional time. The puppets will act as an additional teacher in the classroom; providing verbal instructions and directions for the students.
*Due to current COVID guidelines, puppets will remain with the teacher during instruction. However, if a student shows an interest and is motivated to work directly with a specific puppet, that puppet will be assigned to that student alone and proper cleansing protocol will take place prior to any other student working with that particular puppet.

Benefits to my students

Utilizing puppets in the classroom has many advantages for young students. Research has shown that students with communication problems can benefit from verbal interactions with puppets. One study in particular from the Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health found that puppet play therapy was effective for achievement of communicative skills of children with autism.These benefits occur when the puppet speaks to the student by putting the student at ease and drawing their attention to keep them engaged. Puppets can also be used to comfort a student when they are sad or hurt. Puppets can be used to model positive and negative behaviors; to help students distinguish between good and poor choices. When students have their own puppet, they are able to make them come alive and foster their imagination. In addition, if at any time instruction needs to be fully virtual, the puppets can be utilized by the teacher when conducting instruction via the web.

Mohsen, A., Ali, A., Abbas, B, & Mohsen, S. (2011). The Effect of Puppet Play Therapy Intervention on Communicative Skills of Autistic Children. 13(1), 42-57.

Budget Narrative

8 items include a total of 25 puppets that cover a range of persons and animals that can be utilized throughout the day.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Animal House Talking Hand Puppets	$21.99
2	Happy Hands Puppets Multi Ethnic	$37.49
3	Animal Hand Puppets	$38.90
4	Scruff the Dog Hand Puppet	$14.77
5	Jolly Helpers Hand Puppets	$17.99
6	Dinosaur Friends Hand Puppets	$18.32
7	Sea Life Friends Hand Puppets	$14.03
8	Bold Buddies Hand Puppets	$17.99
	Total:	$181.48

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Puppet Pals

Investor

Impact to My Classroom

Original Grant Overview

Goal

What will be done with my students

Benefits to my students

Budget Narrative

Items

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