Carnival of the Animals Puppets
Carnival of the Animals Craft Activity
Make your own musical paper bag puppets!
Bags of musical fun!!! These 18 printable paper bag puppets are ready to print and play. Includes animal puppets for each movement in Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. Even includes a puppet for composer Camille Saint-Saens.Simply print, color, cut, and assemble on a paper bag and you'll have a cast of fun musical puppets ready to dance and play with.
Each Carnival of the Animals puppet comes in both a color version and a black and white coloring page version to add to the fun of this craftivity. Once they're assembled, they can be used for many different listening and musical activities. Fantastic to use as props in music classes.
Also great for movement activities!
Can you dance like an elephant? Or a bird?
Printable puppets are designed for use with paper bags sized approximately 6 x 11 inches (brown lunch bag size). (Paper bags not included - contains printable puppet pieces only.) A big bundle of fun craftivities!!!Carnival of the Animals craft puppet patterns includes the following characters for each movement:1. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion
- Lion2. Hens and Roosters
- Chicken
- Rooster3. Wild Asses: Swift Animals
- Wild Donkey4. Tortoises
-Tortoise5. The Elephant
- Elephant6. Kangaroos
- Kangaroo7. Aquarium
- Fish
- Jellyfish
- Octopus8. People with Long Ears
- Donkey9. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
- Cuckoo Bird10. Aviary
- Bird
- Macaw
- Parrot
- Peacock11. Pianist
- Composer: Camille Saint Saens12. Fossils
- Dinosaur Fossil / Skeleton13. The Swan
- SwanThis paper bag puppet making kit comes in PDF format ready to print out and have fun with!
High quality graphics.Put on a Carnival of the Animals puppet show with your own fun paper bag puppets! Perfect music class activity for young animal enthusiasts! Put on a puppet show or do some reading activities with your new characters. Also a wonderful tool for speech therapy.
© Dancing Crayon Designs____________________________________________________
About Carnival of the Animals
Carnival of the Animals is a whimsical and lighthearted musical suite composed by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1886. Originally written as a private entertainment piece for friends, the work consists of 14 short movements, each depicting a different animal or group of animals through playful and vivid orchestration. From the majestic "Royal March of the Lion" to the delicate "Aquarium" and the humorous "Fossils," Saint-Saëns masterfully captures the essence of each creature with clever musical techniques. One of the most famous movements, "The Swan," features a beautiful cello melody that has since become an iconic piece in classical music. Although Saint-Saëns considered the suite too frivolous for public performance during his lifetime, it has since become one of his most beloved and frequently performed works, enchanting audiences of all ages with its charm and humor.
About Composer Camille Saint-Saens
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) was a French composer, pianist, and organist known for his technical brilliance and versatility. A child prodigy, he became a leading figure in the Romantic era, blending classical traditions with rich orchestration. His most famous works include The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, and Symphony No. 3 ("Organ Symphony"). Saint-Saëns was also an advocate for French music, influencing later composers like Ravel and Debussy.
Carnival of the Animals
Activities for kids:
"Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saëns is a fantastic piece to engage kids with music through creative and interactive activities. Here are some fun and educational ideas:
Carnival of the Animals
Movement and Drama Activities:
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Animal Charades – Play each movement and let kids act out the animal they hear (e.g., hop like a kangaroo, glide like a swan).Freeze Dance – Play the music, and kids move like the animals until the music stops—then they freeze in place.Puppet Show – Create paper bag puppets representing the animals and have kids move them to the music.Shadow Dance – Use a light and a white sheet to create animal shadows while kids move to the music.
Carnival of the Animals
Arts and Crafts Activities:
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Draw What You Hear – Provide paper and crayons for kids to draw the animals or scenes they imagine while listening to the music.Make Animal Masks – Create masks or headbands for each animal in the music.Collage Creations – Have kids cut and paste magazine images or draw animals inspired by the piece.
Carnival of the Animals
Music and Listening Activities:
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Instrument Match-Up – Listen to the piece and match the sounds to instruments (e.g., piano for "Kangaroos," cello for "The Swan").Rhythm Imitation – Clap or tap out the rhythm of different movements and have kids repeat.Create Your Own Animal Music – Let kids use instruments or body percussion to make their own "Carnival of the Animals" section. Create music that represents their favorite animals or pets.
Carnival of the Animals
Storytelling and Literacy Activities:
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Storytime with Music – Read an animal-themed book and play a corresponding movement from the suite.Write an Animal Adventure – Have kids write or dictate a short story inspired by the music.Poetry & Rhymes – Encourage kids to write or say short rhymes about each animal.
Carnival of the Animals
Games and Group Activities:
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Animal Guessing Game – Play a short clip and have kids guess which animal it represents.Musical Parade – March around the room pretending to be the different animals in the music.Carnival Bingo – Create a bingo card with animals and have kids mark them as they hear snippets of each animal's music.
