Dancing Snowman

Have a blast with puppeteer John Kennedy as he shows you how to create the coolest guy in town, Dancin' Snowman! He'll dance his way into your heart in no time.

white felt
1 six foot feather boa
6 paper plates -2 small, 2 medium, 2 large
2 dowel rods – 36” x 1/2", 36” x 5/16"
assorted pom-poms for facial features
1 wooden bead
2 necklace strings – 20”, 40”
1” foam rubber cube
black sheet foam
one candle cup holder with 1/2" (15mm diameter hole)
two candle cup holders with 3/8" (10mm) diameter hole
black acrylic paint
permanent markers
scissors
paintbrush
glue

REMEMBER THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS WORK UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION. SOMETIMES WE USE OBJECTS THAT COULD BE HARMFUL, LIKE SCISSORS, SO DON'T EVER ATTEMPT TO MAKE THESE PUPPETS ALONE.

1. Using the patterns and the black sheet foam, trace and cut out the hat and gloves. Using the paper plates as patterns, trace and cut out six body pieces from the white felt. Make sure the felt is a 1/2 inch (13mm) wider than each plate.
2. Cut one, one-inch (25mm) cube of foam.
3. Glue one cube of foam to the center of the front side of a small paper plate. Cut slots in both directions in the cube of foam, using scissors and making sure not to cut the foam in half.
4. Paint the two, 5/16' (8mm) dowel rods, the 1/2' (13mm) dowel rod and the candle cup holders with black acrylic paint and let dry. Glue one candle cup holder on one end of each of the smaller rods. Don't glue on the larger candle cup holder. Tie one end of the 20” necklace string to the wooden bead and the other end of the necklace string to the 1/2' (13mm) dowel. The string should be about 1/2' (13mm) from the end of the rod. Fold the 40” necklace string in half and tie it to the 1/2' candle cup at the center point of the string. Both ends of the string must be the same length. Knot the loose ends of the string together to create a necklace with the candle cup hanging at the bottom.
5. Glue the white felt to the back all of the plates, including the plate with the foam cube. Center the felt on each plate, and then wrap the felt over the edge of each plate and glue it in place.
6. Glue together the top and bottom of the mittens, gluing only around the edges and not at the hand opening. Insert the ends of the 5/16” dowel rods that do not have candle cups into the hand openings of the gloves with the ends of the feather boa and glue them both in place.
7. Cut a 1/2” hole in the bottom of the small plate without the foam square. Glue the ½” dowel rod tip with the string tied to it into the foam of the small plate and hold the rod at a 45 degree angle as the glue dries. The angle should come straight down the body of the snowman.
8. Align all of your snowman body pieces. While holding the ½” dowel rod so the face plate is face down on the table, pick up the beaded end of the string and set it aside. Place one medium plate chest down on the table overlapping the face plate. Place one bell plate belly down on the table overlapping the chest plate. Pick up the beaded end of the string and put the bead at the top edge of the belly plate. Place the feather boa arms exactly center at the top edge of the chest plate. Glue the back belly plate to the front belly plate, glue the back chest plate to the front chest plate, and push the ½” dowel rod through the back face plate hole. Slide the back of the head plate down the ½” dowel rod to the front face plate and glue the face plates together. Do not glue the chest to the belly and the head to the chest. Only glue the plates at the top edges of each section so the plates will move freely of each other.
9. Glue the pom-poms and the hat to the face plate, arranging them to your desired look. Add any more costume pieces to make your snowman happy.