Puppetry is the art of bringing an inanimate object to "life" and communicating a message with it.

This ancient medium has been used around the world to educate, to enlighten, and to entertain. In Southeast Asia, shadow puppets are tools that dramatize religious epics. In Europe, priests introduced the marionette -- little Mary -- to help people visualize Bible stories. In Africa, carved figures are devices that help to transmit oral history.

Puppets are used in congregations in worship, education, outreach and nurture ministries. They make announcements, play roles during children's sermons, illustrate songs, teach Sunday School lessons, highlight seasonal programs, visit nursing homes, and much more.

When I think of puppets, I consider six basic puppet styles:

body
finger
hand
marionette
rod
shadow

All types can be quickly and easily constructed from low cost or no cost readily available items.

Please share examples of ways that you have used body, finger, hand, marionette, rod, and shadow puppets in workshop rotation model programs.