Develop your creativity and vocabulary with Chinese shadows
Posted by Equipe Tikino on
A thousand-year-old art combining puppets, tales and legends, declamation and music, shadow theater is a complex and fascinating live show.
With Tikino's “shadow theater”, children can easily take part in this game which helps develop imagination, vocabulary and dexterity.
This new content is now included with the purchase of a Tikino.
Where do shadow puppets come from?
The precise origins of shadow theatre remain a mystery, but its origins are often attributed to ancient China, over 2,000 years ago. Legend has it that they were invented to summon the spirit of the Emperor's wife, who was in despair at having lost her.
Since then, “shadow puppetry” has become a true art and has developed throughout Asia (Vietnam, Taiwan, India, Cambodia, etc.) and much more recently to the West via the Middle East.
Professional shadow theater is a complex art. From making traditional puppets as fine as lace to manipulating them, to declamation and music, it takes puppeteers several years to master.
This technique continues to inspire many artists, including Michel Ocelot, creator of the very famous Kirikou for his short film Le Prince des joyaux , which can be found in our catalog .
How to install your shadow theater with Tikino
Fortunately, you don't need any training to play shadow theater with Tikino: with very little equipment and a hint of imagination, we suggest you take up this idea for a perfect family activity for rainy days and family vacations.
To prepare your shadow theater you will need:
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of a white sheet
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of a support on which to stretch it (between two chairs, under a table, on a clothes horse for example)
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of a Tikino
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paper silhouettes (ideally cut out of slightly thick black paper)
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wooden rods to fix the silhouettes (wand, pencil, stick, skewers without the pointed end for example)
Stretch your white sheet vertically on the support.
Place the support in the room so that there is enough space on both sides: the puppeteers will stand behind the sheet, the spectators in front.
Place your Tikino on a flat surface about 1 meter behind the sheet (the distance can be adjusted). It can be placed on the floor or on a small piece of furniture depending on your installation.
The puppeteers must position themselves with their silhouettes just behind the sheet, so that the light from the Tikino can project the shadows of the characters onto the sheet.
Launch the “shadow theater” content and let the show begin!
Your free puppet kit
To help you get started with this activity, we have prepared some silhouettes to print and cut out. Once detailed, attach each one to the end of a rod (stick, wand or pencil for example) with tape.
You will surely recognize the characters from our tale La Moufle illustrated by Nathalie Ouerdeni. You can replay this famous story or invent new ones using these characters.
Add new scenery or characters yourself by cutting out other silhouettes from thick paper if you wish.
An activity with multiple educational benefits
Shadow theater works imagination and creativity through stories that children will invent using the silhouettes. It allows them to enrich their vocabulary, improve their declamation and dexterity.
Making new silhouettes will also be an opportunity to develop fine motor skills: drawing, cutting, sticking.
For the older ones, why not prepare a real show for the whole family? Setting up the room, creating a poster, running a ticket office and its cash register, musical accompaniment...
In short, shadow theater will allow you to create many family memories.
Up to you !
