A balloon became a fish, a penguin, a dolphin, a baby... And making it attain these shapes was Roberto White, a puppeteer from Spain. All he used was a pair of white surgical gloves.

As the audience in the auditorium of The Newtown School, mostly primary schoolchildren along with their teachers, laughed  and applauded, a beaming White soaked it all in with a grin.  “Puppets make for great teaching aids. Simple things like plastic bags, gloves and balloons can all be turned into magical tools to convey great messages,” he said.

White has earlier performed at the Ishara Puppet Festival in New Delhi. He has also done shows in schools in Chandigarh, Lucknow and a hospital in Gurgaon.

Children, he pointed out, were always excited about new elements that are introduced in the classroom. Which is why he chose items that are simple but relatable. “You have to know how to play with children. I become a child like them. On hindsight, adults also somehow seem to enjoy my performance,” he said.

Having conducted workshops for professionals in Europe, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Argentina and Spain, White has noticed a common trait among parents all over. “They don’t sit with the children to spend quality time with them. They mostly push them in front and make themselves busy with mobile phones. That is a disturbing trend. Children don’t need big toys to be happy. They only need to be happy in their home environment,” he added.

Satabdi Bhattacharjee, principal The Newtown School, said: “Puppetry is an inexpensive teaching aid that can work wonders with children. It is also widely used in Rajasthan. So much of what is unsaid can be said with one puppet. We had a lovely time and so did our students.”