Who hasn't stopped mid-stride and declared, "I need to make a puppet?" Yes, you can do the tired shadow puppet, but why waste batteries? And sure, there is the hackneyed sock puppet...lame! To make an impressive puppet using an empty bottle of dish soap and a broom stick handle, follow these steps.

Steps

  1. Empty a bottle of dish soap. (You know, like Dawn or Dove or Ivory - if it's made of white plastic, even better, but most these days are clear.)
  2. Saw the handle off of an old beat up broom. Or go outside and get a stick thick enough to go into the end of an empty bottle of dish soap. Or think of something around the house that could work as a handle.
  3. Decorate the bottle. Get some cloth and glue it on and make a little outfit. Take some felt and make some eyebrows. Go get some buttons and make some eyes. Or paint stuff on it. Go crazy. Imagination needs no instruction.
  4. Stick the handle in the hole of the empty bottle of dish soap!
  5. Finished.

Tips

  • Make a little puppet stage somehow.
  • Call some family or friends over and then surprise them with the puppet.
  • You might not want to pour the dish soap down the drain - maybe empty it into a pail or another empty bottle so it can still be used. In fact, you may want to wait until your family's current dish soap bottle is empty, then celebrate with a puppet-making. No need to be wasteful, is there?
  • Another option for the pole is to leave the handle on the broom. Then you can still use the broom and have the top of the handle be a puppet!
  • Make more than one puppet and you've got yourself a Punch and Judy show.

Warnings

  • Be careful sawing off the top of the broom. Saws are sharp. If you are under 15, have some adult supervision for this step.

Things You'll Need

  • An empty dish soap bottle
  • Broom, pole, or stick that fits nicely into the dish soap bottle