SOUNDING COMMON THEMES; PUPPETS TEACH VALUES.Byline: Karen Thacker Special to the Daily News ``Does it hurt when you're blind?'' asked one of 60 third-graders gathered around a nearly child-size puppet puppet, human or animal figure, generally of a small size and performing on a miniature stage, manipulated by an unseen operator who usually speaks the dialogue. . ``No, unless I trip over a toy - then it hurts,'' explained Renaldo, a 3-foot-tall puppet with thick glasses. Renaldo is one of several puppets that talked Tuesday to students at Cimmaron Elementary School elementary school: see school. , as part of the Kids on the Block program run by the Assistance League of Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley . The puppets include one in a wheelchair, one who is portraying a blind person, one who is developmentally disabled. The idea is to show that despite limitations some kids may experience, they have a lot in common with everyone else. At Cimmaron, the third-graders' questions were many. ``How do you get around?'' asked one. ``Why do you have glasses?'' asked another. ``With the thick glasses I am able to see some shadows and shapes,'' Renaldo replied. When answering the question about how he gets around, Renaldo explained that he walks on his legs just like other kids, but he uses a special cane cane, walking stick cane, walking stick. Probably used first as a weapon, it gradually took on the symbolism of strength and power and eventually authority and social prestige. to keep from bumping into things. ``The puppets are real live people to the kids,'' said Pam Sweeney, Kids on the Block chairwoman. Standing directly behind the puppets, dressed in black, are the volunteers operating them. They've been trained in the Japanese-style of puppetry puppetry Art of creating and manipulating puppets in a theatrical show. Puppets are figures that are moved by human rather than mechanical aid. They may be controlled by one or several puppeteers, who are screened from the spectators. known as bunrako. The puppet operators try to blend into the background so the focus is on the puppets, Sweeney said. When puppet operator Joanne Wilson started out about 1-1/2 years ago, she took her sixth-grade daughter with her to shop for clothes for the puppets. ``She'd go `No, Mom, that's not in style,' '' Wilson said. The idea is for the puppets, about a size 3T, to blend in Verb 1. blend in - blend or harmonize; "This flavor will blend with those in your dish"; "This sofa won't go with the chairs" blend, go fit, go - be the right size or shape; fit correctly or as desired; "This piece won't fit into the puzzle" with the look of 10- and 11-year-olds. ``So they'll look like kids, not babies,'' she said. Third-graders are the target audience because they are old enough to understand the issues discussed in the show. Besides discussing different handicaps, the puppets also do a skit about graffiti graffiti Form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Technically the term applies to designs scratched through a layer of paint or plaster, but its meaning has been extended to other markings. and tagging - this one sponsored by the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster - and about divorce. More than 25,000 Antelope Valley children have seen the presentations since they began almost 10 years ago. The National Assistance League organization began the program in 1988 when kids with disabilities were integrated into mainstream classrooms. Locally, five teams of women operate the puppets. During the month of October for example, nine schools in Lancaster, Palmdale and Leona Valley will be visited by the puppets. Audiences range from a single 20-student class to about 200 kids. The program is financed by donations from corporations and individuals. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--color) Assistance League women stage the Kids on the Block puppet show, which teaches kids how to get along. (2--color) Puppet John talks to kids about the ills of graffiti and vandalism The intentional and malicious destruction of or damage to the property of another. The intentional destruction of property is popularly referred to as vandalism. It includes behavior such as breaking windows, slashing tires, spray painting a wall with graffiti, and . (3--color) The Assistance League's Joanne Wilson operates a puppet named Mark, who has cerebral palsy cerebral palsy (sərē`brəl pôl`zē), disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. . Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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