more clay creations

We are spending the month of January working with clay. Sometimes this medium really lends itself to integrating into the lessons as with the plant parts for the kindergarten. Each student got a 3x5" note card as a base and a ball of salt clay. We discussed plant parts and drew a plant on the board then they were off. Each was to include all the parts on their plant remembering to include roots and seeds. They are pretty good at the proportions on these. When the plants were completed we used washable markers to color them with pretty great results.

The 1st grade created a 3D map with most of the correct elements. We had a discussion of which would be on a map and which would not. The volcanoes, train tracks, roads and rivers would. Trees might although not in as great of detail as some of the trees acquired. People and animals would not appear. They completed the project by giving it some color using water color boxes. It was a bit messy but turned out well. This is a different clay than we used in the past made with cornstarch as I was given a 50# bag of it.

The 2nd grade is studying landmarks so we created replicas of several of them using the soda/cornstarch clay, chenille stems and toothpicks. We determined that Mt. Rushmore was going to be too hard to create but Natural bridge, Washington's monument and a few others fit the bill. The monuments never had such color before though!

Lastly the 3rd grade got to add a bit of color to their vertebrates from last week using watercolors. They were really great creations and the color was just what they needed. 

Creativity with clay abounds

This was a great day for mushing and mashing to start off the new year. Every class did clay projects and did very well with them.   The kindergarten class made animals using salt clay and chenille stem pieces. They are quite detailed for  5 year olds with no example to follow except their imaginations. 

The 1st grade helped make their own salt clay then was free to create any item using the clay. Lots of  nests, snakes and a good bit of clay play before the end of the period. It was interesting to have them participate in the clay making. The dough made up pretty well and captured their interest as it went from solid to liquid to a soft solid. Nice science type project. 

The 2nd grade learned how to create faces in clay by pinching and using the palette knives and brush handles. We used a cornstarch/baking soda clay that looks really pretty and dries way too fast. We used little cups to dip our fingers into to work the clay and came up with some pretty great president face replicas.

  The 3rd grade created vertebrates and invertabrates. No photos this time but fantastic alligators, snakes, flying squirrels and more. This is a great medium for all of them as it is forgiving and allows for a great deal of creativity.