JOHOR BARU: A group of primary school pupils got creative in an art class and made tiger puppets from used angpow packets to usher in the Year of the Tiger.

       Nine-year-old Lee Yee Chell said she brought 10 pieces of used angpow packets from home to participate in the handicraft class at an art studio in Taman Perling here.

       “I made two tiger puppets – a boy and a girl – and I plan to make more at home to put in our living room as Chinese New Year decorations.

       “I looked forward to the class because I had a lot of fun in last year’s class where it was held online and we made paper cows because it was the Year of the Ox last year,” said the SJK (C) Pei Hwa Year Four pupil when met by The Star.

       Another participant, Chong Yao June, from the same school, said his favourite part about making the craft was giving the tiger puppets expressions by drawing on the eyes and mouth.

       “I still have many used angpow packets at home so I want to make a few more tiger puppets for my elder brother and sister. I will also share this fun class with my classmates and get them to make the paper puppets with me,” he added.

       Meanwhile, art teacher Gray Tan said the special craft class was an annual affair organised by the art studio since 1994 to spread festive cheer among kids in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.

       “Aside from that, my principal Koh Ai Hoon and I also wanted to teach them about giving new life to old things such as used angpow packets.

       “We only guided them on the basics of cutting and shaping the paper packets into the desired head and body of a tiger.

       “They were given the freedom to design and decorate the animal as they wished, where some of them added whiskers and dollar-sign eyes,” he said.

       He added that not many modern parents allow their kids to hold scissors for safety reasons but in the class, they were taught the right ways to handle the tools.

       “Through this, the children also learn about problem solving such as how to salvage the craft if they cut more paper than they are supposed to,” he said.