This craft is easy and fun plus it's a great way to entertain young children!

Tools and Materials
Polar bear and muskox puppet templates
Black construction paper or card stock
Self-adhesive laminating sheets
Brightly colored ballpoint pen
Scissors
Craft knife
Screw punch
Adhesive Velcro tape
Small scrapbooking brads
Tape
Alligator clips with crimp connectors
Bamboo skewers

Shadow Puppets How-To
1. Print polar bear or muskox puppet template.

2. Laminate a sheet of black paper on both sides, using self-adhesive laminating sheets. Tape template to one side of laminated paper.

3. Trace the template shapes with a bright-colored ballpoint pen, pressing hard to indent the laminated paper. Mark the holes for the joints as shown on the template.

4. Remove the template from the laminated paper. Cut out the shapes you have traced, and pierce or punch holes for the joints.

5. Assemble the joints with brads. For puppets with multiple joints, the puppet will move more freely if the body section is layered between the outer pieces.

6. Place a small piece of the adhesive Velcro loop (fuzzy) tape on the head and on the rear legs of the puppet, on both sides.

7. To make the puppet sticks, crimp alligator clips onto the sharp ends of the bamboo skewers with pliers. Cut a 1 1/2-inch length of adhesive Velcro hook tape, pinch the ends together with the adhesive sides facing, and then flatten the middle to make a "T"-shaped Velcro piece. Repeat to make two. Clip the puppet sticks onto the "T"-shaped Velcro pieces.

8. Press the puppet sticks onto the Velcro loop tape on each end of the puppets, with the stick perpendicular to the puppets. This allows you to manipulate the jointed puppet by moving and twisting the sticks, and it keeps your sticks and hands from casting shadows. To make your puppet move in the opposite direction, pull the puppet sticks from the Velcro loop tape on one side, and stick them to the other side.

9. Set up a shadow puppet screen (a shower curtain works well) and play!

Resources
All tools available from Martha Stewart Crafts. Self-adhesive laminating sheets available at most office-supply stores. Alligator clips available at hardware stores.