Anna Pocaro Photography

Hand Puppet Templates

These puppet templates were designed by Making Waves artist and co-founder Therese Berry. Download templates and instructions below to make your own lake species puppets.

Puppet templates are free for public use. Please credit Therese Berry and Making Waves Artist Collaborative.

Therese Berry

  • COLOR the puppet before you cut it out
    CUT the puppet and the tail feather piece out
    GLUE on the Avocet eyes
    FOLD the tail feather piece and glue it up under the end of the tail
    PUNCH a hole for each leg (marked on the template)
    SHAPE the white pipe cleaners into AVOCET legs, insert and tape
    on the underside
    GLUE the two body pieces together – leave the mid-body area open
    HOT GLUE the puppet stick in place – lower mid-body

    Wow! That is one great-looking AVOCET!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    PARADE your AMERICAN AVOCET puppet with your lake-loving
    community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt Lake and all life-giving water bodies!


    Avocet Template 11×17 pdf

  • COLOR the puppet before you cut it out
    CUT the puppet out (remove the paper legs if you decide to add pipe
    cleaners for legs)
    CUT three 12” black pipe cleaners in half for 6 fly legs
    PUNCH small holes for the 6 legs (marked on template)
    BEND the fly legs into ‘fly leg’ shapes. Insert and tape to secure on
    the underside
    MAKE a ‘finger ring’ by rolling a strip of paper 1” x 4” into a ring –
    tape to secure.
    TAPE the finger ring onto the underside – so you can wear your
    Brine fly puppet

    Wow! That is one great-looking Brine Fly!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    Your Brine Fly finger puppet is ready for you to PARADE with your
    lake-loving community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt
    Lake and all life-giving water bodies!


    Brine Fly Template 11×17 pdf


  • COLOR the puppet before you cut it out
    CUT the puppet out
    GLUE on the Brine Shrimp eyes
    CUT two short 1” antennae out of black pipe cleaner
    PUNCH a small hole for the antennae (marked on template) insert
    and tape on the underside
    MAKE a ‘finger ring’ by rolling a strip of paper 1” x 4” into a ring –
    tape to secure.
    TAPE the finger ring onto the underside – so you can wear your
    Brine Shrimp puppet

    Wow! That is one great-looking Brine Shrimp!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    Your Brine Shrimp finger puppet is ready for you to PARADE with your
    lake-loving community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt
    Lake and all life-giving water bodies!


    Brine Shrimp Template 11×17 pdf


  • COLOR the puppet before you cut it out
    CUT the puppet out (body and ear feathers)
    ‘Fringe’ cut the ear feather edges
    GLUE on the ear feathers and the eyes

    GLUE the two body pieces together – leave the bottom area open
    HOT GLUE the puppet stick in place – lower mid-body

    Wow! That is one great-looking Eared Grebe!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    PARADE your EARED GREBE puppet with your lake-loving
    community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt Lake and all
    life-giving water bodies!


    Eared Grebe Template 11×17 pdf

  • Black pipe cleaners 12” – Brine fly and Brine shrimp
    White pipe cleaners 12” – Avocet
    Supply Prep Tips:
    Pre-cut puppet eyes
    Pre-cut Brine legs and Brine shrimp antennae – black pipe cleaners
    Pre-cut and assemble finger rings

  • Puppet templates – copied onto cover stock
    Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers
    Glue sticks
    Scissors
    Large popsicle sticks (tongue depressors) – for Grebe and Avocet
    Finger rings – for Brine shrimp and Brine fly (pre-make these or have
    each participant make their own)
    Hole punch
    Hot glue gun
    Scotch tape

Anna Pocaro Photography

Stick Bird Puppet Templates

Youth Coalition for Great Salt Lake

Anna Pocaro Photography

These puppet templates were drawn and designed in collaboration with community members and artists apart of the Making Waves Artist Collaborative.

Puppet templates are free for public use. Please credit Making Waves Artist Collaborative..

Instructions & Downloads

  • PRINT & CUT out the puppet template
    TRACE the template twice (one for the front, one for the back) onto a sturdy piece of clean one-ply cardboard with no folds.
    CUT out your traced template on a cutting mat with a box cutter

    PAINT both cardboard cutouts using photo references and or Making Waves Puppets photos
    TAPE & GLUE a sturdy bamboo stake of your desired length on the back of one cardboard cutout
    GLUE the two cardboard pieces together – sandwiching the two cardboard cutouts together with the bamboo stake in the middle

    STAPLE around the edges to reinforce your puppet
    SEAL the painted surfaces

    You now have a beautiful stick bird puppet!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    PARADE your puppet with your lake-loving community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt Lake and all life-giving water bodies!

    Making Waves Phalarope Example

    18x24” Phalarope Template 

    11x17” Phalarope Template

Sarah May

Anna Pocaro Photography


  • PRINT & CUT out the puppet template
    TRACE the template twice (one for the front, one for the back) onto a sturdy piece of clean one-ply cardboard with no folds.
    CUT out your traced template on a cutting mat with a box cutter

    PAINT both cardboard cutouts using photo references and or Making Waves Puppets photos
    TAPE & GLUE a sturdy bamboo stake of your desired length on the back of one cardboard cutout
    GLUE the two cardboard pieces together – sandwiching the two cardboard cutouts together with the bamboo stake in the middle

    STAPLE around the edges to reinforce your puppet
    SEAL the painted surfaces

    You now have a beautiful stick bird puppet!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    PARADE your puppet with your lake-loving community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt Lake and all life-giving water bodies!

    Templates coming soon

Sarah May


  • PRINT & CUT out the puppet template
    TRACE the template twice (one for the front, one for the back) onto a sturdy piece of clean one-ply cardboard with no folds.
    CUT out your traced template on a cutting mat with a box cutter

    PAINT both cardboard cutouts using photo references and or Making Waves Puppets photos
    TAPE & GLUE a sturdy bamboo stake of your desired length on the back of one cardboard cutout
    GLUE the two cardboard pieces together – sandwiching the two cardboard cutouts together with the bamboo stake in the middle

    STAPLE around the edges to reinforce your puppet
    SEAL the painted surfaces

    You now have a beautiful stick bird puppet!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    PARADE your puppet with your lake-loving community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt Lake and all life-giving water bodies!

    Templates coming soon

Anna Pocaro Photography



  • PRINT & CUT out the puppet template
    TRACE the template twice (one for the front, one for the back) onto a sturdy piece of clean one-ply cardboard with no folds.
    CUT out your traced template on a cutting mat with a box cutter

    PAINT both cardboard cutouts using photo references and or Making Waves Puppets photos
    TAPE & GLUE a sturdy bamboo stake of your desired length on the back of one cardboard cutout
    GLUE the two cardboard pieces together – sandwiching the two cardboard cutouts together with the bamboo stake in the middle

    STAPLE around the edges to reinforce your puppet
    SEAL the painted surfaces

    You now have a beautiful stick bird puppet!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    PARADE your puppet with your lake-loving community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt Lake and all life-giving water bodies!

    Templates coming soon

Anna Pocaro Photography



  • PRINT & CUT out the puppet template
    TRACE the template twice (one for the front, one for the back) onto a sturdy piece of clean one-ply cardboard with no folds.
    CUT out your traced template on a cutting mat with a box cutter

    PAINT both cardboard cutouts using photo references and or Making Waves Puppets photos
    TAPE & GLUE a sturdy bamboo stake of your desired length on the back of one cardboard cutout
    GLUE the two cardboard pieces together – sandwiching the two cardboard cutouts together with the bamboo stake in the middle

    STAPLE around the edges to reinforce your puppet
    SEAL the painted surfaces

    You now have a beautiful stick bird puppet!

    NOW ~ ~ ~ ~
    PARADE your puppet with your lake-loving community in praise, honor, and witness of Great Salt Lake and all life-giving water bodies!

    Templates coming soon