Professional Development
Speaker : Jess McKay
Jess McKay is a puppeteer extraordinaire.
His puppetry credits include Henson Alternative's 'Puppet Up', Sesame Studios, Musical Adventures with Leopold, Smashed Potatoes with Muffalo Potato, Swazzle, Maker Studios, Soul Pancake and various other television and film projects.
Jess is also an arts educator with 15+ years experience and enjoys leading workshops in puppetry and storytelling.
1. The Power of Puppetry : Connections Workshop
This talk explores various uses of puppetry and puppets in education and child development.
We consider specific applications of puppetry in helping young people to learn, grow, and express themselves.
We look at how people have used puppets educationally in the past and consider how we may be utilizing puppets in the future.
2. Puppet Magic Workshop
Puppets can be powerful storytelling tools. This presentation (re)introduces the magic and wonder of live puppetry.
Attendees are introduced to the basics of bringing puppets to life while also learning about various historical and cultural contexts of puppets.
3. Puppet Building Workshop
Participants are introduced to several types of craft puppets and have the opportunity to design and construct their own hand puppets.
These workshops are tailored to fit any group. Participants leave the workshop knowing how to build at least two types of puppets.
Testimonials
« We had a great time at the Kansas Association for the Education of Young Children 2018 Annual Conference in Manhattan, KS! We had the the opportunity to learn about how to teach differently using puppets, especially in the area of social emotional development. Thanks for coming
to Kansas, Jess McKay Puppets! Can’t wait to learn more! » - Manchester School for Young Children
« This spring the faculty had a chance to meet Jess McKay, who is a professional puppeteer. As teachers we engaged in experiences making puppets and discussed the myriad of ways puppets can be used in an early childhood classroom. Thank you Jess for the inspiration you showed the teachers! » - Boulder Journey School
