Nur’s Nook—Fly with Equality: Make a Bird Puppet
“Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity ... humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment.”
— ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
My sister, Shiny, asked to join a flying game with some bugs on our block. They told her, “No way—girls can’t keep up!” She said, “That’s a stereotype, and it’s not cool!” Then she flew away.
When Shiny got home, she told me about it. I was glowing with appreciation that she stood up for herself. Those guys weren’t being fair. When Shiny’s excited about something, she’s great at using determination and creativity to figure it out.
Later, we practiced flying together. I showed her some tips for flying faster with air currents. Pretty soon she was teaching me tricks. When she saw the guys, Shiny flew circles around them! They changed their tune about what girls can do and learned some new moves. When females and males are equally strong, we all fly higher.
Check out this cool craft Shiny and I made. We created a puppet show to remind us to fly with equality!
You’ll Need:
Printed PDF pattern*, scissors, pencil, 4½" x 11" (11.4 x 28 cm) colorful paper, 4½" x 11" (11.4 x 28 cm) card stock, two drinking straws of different widths, clear tape, white glue, pencil, scissors, colorful paper or markers for decorating, optional: craft eyes
What You Do:
Step 1: Cut pattern shapes out. Fold colorful paper in half so short ends touch.
Step 2a: Place wing pattern on paper so its short end touches fold. Trace with pencil.
Step 2b: Cut out wing to make a pair of wings attached at central crease.
Step 3: Place body pattern on card stock. Trace and cut out.
Step 4a: With wings closed and pointing up, fold top wing down to make a crease 1¼" (3.2 cm) from wing pair’s central crease.
Step 4b: Flip wings over and repeat step (a)’s fold for other wing.
Step 5: Center edge of body’s belly along central crease so wing feathers point toward tail. Glue short portions of wings tightly around belly.
Step 6a: On one end of thin straw, cut a ½" (1.3 cm) slit through each side, to make two even tabs.
Step 6b: Center bird’s belly inside straw’s slits. Use tape to secure one tab to each side of belly.
Step 7: Cut off ⅓ of thick straw’s length. On one end of remainder of thick straw, cut a 3¾" (9.5 cm) sliver out of each side, to make two even flaps.
Step 8a: Thread thin straw through thick straw—with flaps facing up. Push thick straw up to bottom of slivers. Fold straw flap backward to form a crease that’s even with wing’s crease. Fold half of top section forward. Fold half of new top section back.
Step 8b: Use tape to secure only shortest end of straw’s flap to wing, so it’s 1" (2.5 cm) above crease. Make sure flap’s second fold bends outward. Flip bird over and repeat (a)’s folds and step (b) for other flap.
Step 9: Use colorful paper, markers, and craft eyes (optional) to decorate bird. Include designs or words about equality. Hold thin straw at its base. Push thick straw up and down to watch the wings go!
* Click HERE for bird pattern
For a printable version, download a PDF of this craft
Characters466 Arts and Crafts203 Crafts201 Nur’s Nook95 Nur143 Gender Equality25 Equality of Women and Men54 Puppets8 Paper39 Wings16 Openness39