Parent and Child Program
Registration for the autumn 2024 groups is now closed. Please check in soon for information about winter 2025 play groups. Thank you for your interest.
There will be two separate 2024 autumn sessions of our Parent and Child Puppetry play group. One group will run on Tuesdays from 10:00 - 11:00 am. The other will run on Fridays from 10:00 - 11:00am. You can register for one or both groups.
Each session will run for 10 weeks.
The Tuesday group runs from September 17th until November 19th, 2024.
The Friday group runs from September 20th until November 22nd.
Both sessions are for children aged 1 to 4 years old, and their parents or caregivers.
Registration is $110 for each autumn session, for one parent/caregiver and child. You must register for a whole session, we are unable to accommodate drop-ins. If you register a child and they have a sibling under 6 months old, the sibling can attend for free. Payment is made by Interact e-transfer, or you can pay in person at the first session.
The Parent and Child group will be held in a beautiful studio at Bishop Hall, located at 10032 HWY1, Greenwich, Nova Scotia. This space is wheelchair accessible.
In this group, children and their caregivers are welcomed to share rhymes and songs, a sweet and simple puppet show, and free play with beautiful handmade puppets. This is a lovely time for families to enjoy creativity and community in a beautiful and safe environment.
Each session will begin with greetings and a circle time, where Margaret will lead the group in a welcome song and some seasonal songs, rhymes, and finger-plays.
Then Margaret will perform a short Waldorf style puppet show. This style of puppet show tends to be gentle and quiet, focussing on nature and the seasons. The shows for this group will be short, about 5 minutes or less, suited for the attention spans of very young children. Each puppet show will be repeated for 2 weeks. This is done so that the children have the opportunity to get familiar with the story. If you are a parent or care for young children, you will know how much they enjoy repetition! If you register for both Tuesday and Friday groups, please note that your child will see the same puppet show 4 times- this is in alignment with Waldorf pedagogy.
After this, participants will be invited to have free play, with handmade puppets and toys. Most of these items will be made by Margaret herself.
This will be followed by some simple games for group play, and then a goodbye song.
All indoor activities will be held with everyone sitting on the floor. There are chairs available if you need one, and you are also welcome to bring a cushion to sit on.
Here is the schedule of puppet stories Margaret will be sharing:
Weeks 1-2: The Apple Star. This is a tale told in Waldorf kindergartens around the world. It is about a child who sets out to answer a riddle given to them by their parent.
Weeks 3-4: The Little Red Hen. A traditional folk tale about a hen who bakes a loaf of bread- but will the other farm animals help her with her baking?
Weeks 5-6: The Halloween Cat. This story is based on one created by Waldorf puppeteer Suzanne Down. It has been heavily adapted by Margaret Forsey. It is about a young good witch who wishes for a friend, and finds one in a black cat on Halloween night.
Week 7-8: The Pumpkin House. A new folk tale Margaret learned from the Waldorf YouTube channels ‘Amy’s Daisies’ and ‘The Hidden Bloom’. It is about a spider and mouse who make a home in an abandoned pumpkin.
Week 9-10: The Enormous Turnip. This is a traditional European folk tale about a farmer who grows and enormous turnip, and needs help from all of the farm animals to pull it out of the ground.
Although the puppetry stories are simple, It is important to Cosy Nest Puppetry to make them diverse and inclusive, showing different types of families, and puppets who reflect the diversity of our world.