Puppet Theater

My oldest child was heavily into making up stories.  He would flip up the seat cushion of our of our chairs, hide behind it, and use it as a base for a puppet show.  So I knew it was time to build a real theatre.

This was actually a pretty simple project.  I used a sheet of plywood and cut two small ends off.  These would become the sides of the theatre.  I cut a window out of each piece, as well as a large rectangular window out of the remaining piece of plywood.  The two ends were attached to the main section using a couple of hinges.

Here is what it looked like unfinished:

Puppet theatre, lemonade stand.... so many uses!

I wanted the theatre to also act as a kind of reading nook, or an inside fort.  I wanted it to be somewhere they could sneak away to and have a quiet time (or maybe I could!).  So I thought I would paint it to look like a tree house.  I base coated the plywood with a light beige/cream colour.  Then I used a ruler and pencil to mark off "boards".  Next, I used a chocolate brown acrylic paint to add the board details.  I also gave a few highlights to the cracks and knots with a white acrylic craft paint.  I made a little glaze by adding some water to the chocolate brown craft paint and washed the whole thing down.  It muted the colours nicely.  I also added a few fun details :)  

My kids have enjoyed the theatre and used it for many creative displays.  I especially love to see my oldest child put on plays for the youngest.  Most of the time the humour they enjoy is something only two brothers can experience.  They find the storyline hysterical while I sit there trying to figure out what I missed :)  The bond of brotherhood!

Linked up to: