Poefff
Teaching materials for Poefff
The teaching materials incorporate the following learning areas and their associated core objectives: self-focus and world orientation, and artistic orientation. They focus on two aspects of the performance: content (the storyline and its meaning) and form (the projections, the magic lantern, and the music).
The magic lantern was invented around 1659 by the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens (history canon) and is part of the Dutch cultural heritage.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES for POEFFF
BLACK AND WHITE CAT 4+
A simple prick and color assignment of shape and counter-shape, light and shadow shape.
What do you need:
Pin, pin pad, black marker and the example drawing.
Instructions:
Cut out the cat and color the back black. Glue the black cat into the white circle.
Presentation:
Hold the drawing up to the light.
What is the form and what is the counterform?
PRICK DRESSES 4+
A simple prick and color assignment of shape and light shape.
What do you need:
Pin, pin pad, sample drawing, markers, and a transparent carrier bag or candy wrapper.
Instructions:
Punch out the dresses. Glue clear plastic from a shopping bag or candy wrapper to the back of the empty dresses. Color the design brightly. Glue the white punched-out dresses next to the plastic dresses on the clothesline.
Presentation:
Hang the completed pin dress design in the window. You can clearly see the light shapes and the colored shapes of the dresses.
Bright point drawing 4+
A drawing and poking assignment on black paper.
What do you need:
Lancing pen, lancing pad, black sturdy paper.
Instructions:
Draw a simple picture with a pencil on heavy black paper. Just outline the figure and add a few clear details like eyes, a mouth, a nose, hair, a bow, a heart, a flower, a sun, or stars. Then poke holes along the lines, making sure the holes don’t quite touch! If you hold your poke drawing up to the light in the window, you’ll see a pattern of points of light!
Presentation:
Hang the light point drawing behind the window or place it on an overhead projector. With the overhead projector, you can even project the light point drawing large on the wall (cover the sides with paper).
Shadow figures 4+
Cut or prick assignment of a simple shadow figure and a movable shadow figure with a pivot point.
What do you need:
Scissors, pin, pin cushion, markers, long skewers, tape and split pin.
Instructions:
Cut out or pierce the drawn figures and decorate them in cheerful colours.
Make short cuts along the lines of Poefff’s wings and head. Tape a skewer to the back to hold the figure. The musician consists of two parts. Poke a hole where the black dots are and then insert a split pin through that hole to connect the arms and body. At the back, bend the split pin open so the arms are attached to the body but can still move slightly. Tape a skewer to the back of the legs and do the same for the arms.
Presentation:
If you hold the skewer in one hand and a flashlight in the other, you can see the shadow of your shadow figure on the wall!
If you hold the musician’s skewer in one hand and gently move the skewers on the musician’s arms with the other, it will appear as if the musician is playing. Hold this against a light source and observe the shadow on the wall!
Owl and Poefff 4+
A prick assignment in which the prick holes do not quite touch each other so that a light point drawing is created.
What do you need:
Pin, pin pad and the example drawing.
Instructions:
Poke holes that are just barely touching along the lines of the owl, Poefff, and the butterfly. If you hold your poke drawing up to the light, you’ll see a pattern of points of light.
Presentation:
Hang the light point drawing in the window or place it on an overhead projector. With the overhead projector, you can even project the light point drawing large on the wall (cover the sides with paper).
Thread butterfly 6+
A window hanger made of wire construction decorated with beads and buttons.
What do you need:
Thick iron wire or installation wire, pliers, buttons, beads, rings, thin (iron) wire to attach the decoration, the butterfly drawing and rope.
Instructions:
Use thick wire or installation wire, approximately 150 cm long. Bend the wire into a butterfly shape. Trace the butterfly with the wire. Start and end at the tail, twisting the ends together. Decorate the inside of the butterfly with buttons, beads, rings, or something similar. Thread these together with thin wire and attach them to the butterfly.
Presentation:
Hang your butterfly on a string in front of the window and watch where its shadow is.
Prick cat 6+
A more difficult prick and colour task of form and counter-form, light and shadow form.
What do you need:
Pin, pin pad, the template, black marker, and colored transparent plastic from a carrier bag, candy wrapper, kite paper, or adhesive foil.
Instructions:
Punch out the cat and color the back black. Glue colored transparent plastic to the back of the empty space and decorate it, for example, with sticky tape. Peel off the white backing from the sticky tape!
You color Poefff in cheerful colors.
Then, punch out the empty space behind Poefff. On the back, stick a piece of clear plastic into which you’ll stick the punched-out black cat. Cut out shapes from colored pieces of adhesive film and decorate the plastic space.
Presentation:
Hang the Prikkat drawing you made in the window. You’ll clearly see the shape and contrast, light and shadow.
Spinning card 6+
A cut or prick project.
What do you need:
Scissors, marker, glue, 2 rubber bands and a hole punch.
Instructions:
Color the bird in a bright color. Cut out the two circles. Cut an extra circle out of sturdy cardboard and glue the circle with the drawing to each side of it. Note: The arrows should be opposite each other, so the cage is upside down! Punch holes at the indicated black points. Thread an elastic band through the left hole, first looping it, then pulling the other end through and tightening it. Do the same with an elastic band through the right hole
Presentation:
If you hold a rubber band in both hands and roll it with your fingers, you can quickly spin the card around. You’ll see the bird in the cage!
Musical instrument 6+
A cut and fold exercise of an easy to play musical instrument.
What do you need:
The working drawing, smooth and sturdy paper from an advertising brochure, scissors and tape.
Instructions:
Take smooth paper, like a flyer. Cut out a square.
1. Roll it up tightly from the point and secure it with tape.
2. Cut the end of the roll. You’ll now see an arrow-shaped point.
3. Bend the point downwards.
Presentation:
Place this end of the roll in your mouth and blow on it.
You’re doing it right if you hear the sound of a frog!
Flying Poefff 8+
Scissor project of a shadow or light figure with moving wings, pull-puppet principle.
What do you need:
Copy the working drawing on thick paper (160 grams), scissors, small split pins, wire, pliers, straw and tape.
Instructions:
Cut out Poefff. Make short snips along the lines of Poefff’s wings and head. Poke holes at the indicated points. Insert a split pin through the wing and body at the large points, and do the same for the other wing. Take a 40 cm piece of wire and bend it in half in the middle. Insert the ends through the small holes in each wing and bend the ends. Attach the wire to the wing by crimped with pliers (use some tape as well). Take a straw and cut off 15 cm of it. Slide it up the bottom of the double-bent wire. Tape it to the body, leaving 2 cm between the wire and the straw for movement.
Presentation:
Take the straw with Poefff in your hand and move the wire under the straw up and down. The wings will move up and down.
Shadow portrait 8+
A drawing and/or cutting assignment of a face using a light source.
What do you need:
A white A3 paper, pencil, eraser, black paint, brush, jar of water, cloth and a light source.
Instructions:
Hang a piece of white paper on the wall. Place a stool underneath it and have someone sit on it. Place a lamp on a table opposite the paper so that you can see the shadow of the face on the white paper. Turn your face sideways toward the light so that the nose in the shadow is clearly visible. Sit still like a statue! Pay attention to where the lamp will be placed—far away, close up, higher (with books underneath), or lower! Another child will draw the outline of the shadowed face on the paper with a pencil. Once the outline is complete, remove the paper from the wall and hang a new piece of white paper in the same place. Reverse roles: the child who sat as the model will now draw, and the other will sit.
Presentation:
Use black paint to blacken the portrait, staying within the lines! This way, you’ll see your own shadow portrait. You can brighten up the background with your favorite colors. Or you can draw objects, animals, or other things you love. You can also cut out or pierce the portrait and glue it onto colored paper.
Hand shadow (all ages)
You can create shadow animals using your hands by holding them in a certain way under the light of a lamp.
You can already depict simple animals with one or two hands.
Above you can see some examples and also see how to hold your hands to make a hand shadow animal.
What do you need:
A light wall or a piece of fabric, a light source.
Job description:
Look at the examples and try it yourself.
Flashlight exploration
Explore a dark space with a small flashlight, for example, in your bedroom, in your classroom, through your house, in your closet… The small beam of light, in which you see fragmented images, allows you to see the world around you with different eyes.
Sun and shade
Discover your own shadow in the sun. Make it a game with friends, for example, by having the shadows shake hands without actually touching.
Recognition game
Creating and guessing shadow images of everyday objects.
Hang a white cloth on a clothesline. Place a light source (a large flashlight or desk lamp) on a table at one end of the cloth. Place an object on the table between the light source and the cloth so that you can see its shadow on the cloth. The audience sits on the other side of the cloth and has to guess which object it is.
Shadow play
Cut out shadow figures from black paper and stick a skewer behind each one to hold it in place.
Stand in front of a light-colored wall and shine a flashlight on your shadow figure. You’ll see its shadow on the wall! You can tell a short story and make sounds along with it.
Together with friends you can create a more complicated shadow game.
Hang a white cloth on a clothesline. Place a light source (a large flashlight or desk lamp) on one side of the cloth.
Kneel down and hold your shadow figures above your head, moving them. The audience sits on the other side of the cloth, seeing only the shadow play. You can create a story together, add sound effects, and create a backdrop.