Sonoma Community Center

Enriching lives through education and the arts — for Sonoma Valley and beyond

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Giant Puppet Camp

Monday, June 23 from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Location

Age

7, 8, 9, 10 and 11

Class Details

Schedule

Monday, June 23 – June 27, 2025
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Instructor

Jennifer Sargent

Ages

7 – 11 years old

Skill Levels

Tags
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Registration Cost

$375 for 5 days

View the camp FAQ here.

Register Here Financial Aid

About the camp

The Giant Puppet camp will offer children an adventure in creativity, myth creation, collaboration, and celebration. Campers will collectively imagine a world of characters for the Sonoma 2025 Fourth of July Parade. Children will learn techniques in building individual pageant puppets and group puppets using paper mache, cardboard, paint, and fabric. Movement exploration, community-building games, and puppeteering practice will help students’ puppets come to life. Led by veteran Teaching Artist Jennifer Sargent, creative exploration will emphasize process and student-centered imagination. At the end of camp, students will share a celebratory pageant procession for families. Participation in the July 4th parade is highly encouraged, but optional.

Our summer camps provide hands-on learning experiences that foster creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Engaging in artistic activities allows children to express themselves in unique ways, boosting their confidence and emotional intelligence. Our experienced instructors offer a supportive and engaging space where all children can discover their passions, build lifelong friendships, and develop a sense of belonging. Not to mention, our summer camps are fun!

Snacks will be provided every day, but children are expected to come with their own lunches and beverage (or water bottle) each day.
Break times will happen outside. Please be sure your child comes prepared for outdoor activities with sun protection each day.

About the instructor

Jennifer Sargent

Instructor / Artist

Jenny Sargent is a physical theater performer/ creator, and has been an arts educator for over 20 years. She has taught physical theater, expressive movement, clowning, puppetry, and circus to students from pre-K through high school. Currently on the teaching roster at the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa, Jenny has experience teaching an enormous diversity of programs in New Orleans, New York City, and California. For six years, she was a Teaching Artist for NYC’s renowned New Victory Theater, an incubator for innovative methods of activating creativity in young people. She directed the highly popular Stone Soup Circus camp in Princeton, NJ for eight years. In New Orleans, she taught arts-integration with Kidsmart and Young Audiences of Louisiana, and was a full-time Circus Arts Teacher at the International School of Louisiana. She is currently a masters student at SSU, working on becoming credentialed in Expressive Arts Therapies. Jenny holds a BA from Oberlin College and a post-graduate diploma from the movement-theater school Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France.

    Camp FAQ

    1. Water Bottle
    2. Lunch
    3. Snacks(If your child has a preferred snack)
    4. Hat
    5. Please apply sunscreen before coming to camp

    Drop off will be on the back patio before the class start time, and pick up will be in the same location after the class end time.

    Yes, we would love to have you! Contact Melissa Agocs at melissa@sonomacommunitycenter.org

    You may provide any special accommodations that your child/children may required during the Camp Registration process. You may also send any additional information or questions you may have to melissa@sonomacommunitycenter.org.

    Yes, all of our instructors are required to complete a Live Scan.

    Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to offer early drop off and late pick up at this time. This is something that we hope to have in the future.

    No, masks are optional.

    General Class FAQ

    All Memberships(Excluding the $50/year tier) receive 10% off any purchase above $40. You should have received your discount code in your membership confirmation email.

    If you have any questions regarding the use of your code, you can contact Sean Baskin at sean@sonomacommunitycenter.org or call the office at (707)938-4626.

    Not a member? View more information about our monthly and yearly plans here.

    The Sonoma Community Center is committed to creating an accessible learning environment. If you require any special considerations(medical, physical, learning) please share them with Sean Baskin, Program Associate, by emailing him at sean@sonomacommunitycenter.org so that he can forward them to the relevant Program Director and Instructor.

    • All Levels
    • Welcomes participants from beginning through advanced. Instructor provides a balanced and flexible curriculum suitable for participants with any level of experience.
    • Beginning
    • Participant has little to no experience with this medium and needs or expects guidance at every step during the class. Participant wants to learn about materials, techniques, and vocabulary of the medium.
    • Intermediate
    • Participant is comfortable with the medium and expects both guidance and time to work alone with the medium.
    • Advanced
    • Participant is very confident with all aspects of the medium. Participant is self-motivated; ready to experiment and develop their artistic voice.
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    We ask that you notify us at least 10 business days in advance of a class if you need to cancel your registration. You may cancel by phone or email and we will gladly offer you a refund or credit toward a future class. If you cancel with less than 10 business days notice, we will not be able to provide a full refund. A flat cancellation fee of $15 will be charged to cover the transaction fee.

    Sometimes, the Sonoma Community Center has to cancel a class due to low enrollment or unforeseen circumstances, such as a natural disaster or health emergency. If this happens and we do not offer a reschedule date, you will be refunded 100% of your registration fee, or credit towards a future class. If we are able to offer a reschedule date but you are unable to make the new date, we will gladly offer credit towards a future class.

    Late additions to any program, class, or workshop that has already begun will be allowed on a per-case basis depending upon the Program Director & instructors approval. Late additions will have to pay the full registration cost of the class, along with any materials fees, and will not be prorated for the time missed. You may reach out to the program directors directly, or the Program Associate Sean Baskin at sean@sonomacommunitycenter.org to request a late addition.

    We are always looking for new instructors. You can find more information about the process here, or fill out the form directly here.

    You can view our full class policies and guidelines here.

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