This is a second post submitted by Roz Ivey, University of Michigan-Flint social work student and administrative assistant for the School of Education and Human Services. This July 2016 trip was connected with a University of Michigan-Flint International and Global Studies (IGS) study abroad course: Rethinking Social Development in Southern Africa.

What do  finger puppets have to do with social development? A great deal, let me explain:

Understanding the concept of Ubuntu was an ongoing discovery process during their study abroad trip.

Our UM-Flint group spent an aMaizing work week at the Ubuntu arts camp in Healdtown Comprehensive School, the same school that Nelson Mandela attended.  To know that I was walking on the same ground and going in and out of the same buildings as one of the great leaders of the world was a double honor; the first honor was connecting with the participants of the program.

From the first day the men, women, and children demonstrated what Ubuntu is by welcoming us into their community as if we had always been members of their family. In turn we were able to model and support them by using this new found concept of Ubuntu by making and serving them lunch every day, by sharing our arts projects with them, and by listening and trying to understand their lives as they dealt with racism, post-apartheid outcomes and oppression.

One of the things we did there was to share an art project with the attendees while our conversation still focused around the social development of the community.  Some of the students used spoken word and poetry; some played games; some used pencils and paint while another used fiber art. I chose to use pipe cleaner finger puppets as my segue into our conversation of Ubuntu. Not only did the children have fun making the finger puppets but they did so using the behavioral characteristics and social development concepts of Ubuntu.

A child displays his finger puppet in the Ubuntu arts camp.

What I observed as the children made their puppets was that they used their imagination when picking out the colors and shape of their puppet’s body, eyes and hair color. I saw cooperation and skill sharing toward one another as the children helped each other construct the puppet using the twists and turns of the pipe cleaner around their fingers.

There were at least four waves of 20 students each that came through the finger puppet station and they modeled patience for each other’s turn and also for me as the only person with the hot glue gun. They showed respect as they stood in line waiting while each one told me where they wanted the placement of eyes and hair to go. And they gave encouragement to one another as they admired each other’s creations.

The initial question: What does making finger puppets have to do with social development? I found six behavioral characteristics and social development concepts, and more can be added. A special Thank you to One Little Project.com for the inspiration to make finger puppets.