Sculpting With Children

Here's a quick list to help you get started with sculpture, no matter what age you're working with.

Materials to Sculpt and/or Carve

Natural clay
Mud
Modeling clay
Sculpey
Paper clay
Bread & glue clay
Paper pulp
Soap
Wax (cheap candles)
Aluminum foil
Potatoes, turnips (root vegetables)
Boxes
Straws
Plaster (dried, to carve)

Sculpting Tools

Popsicle sticks
Twigs
Butter knives, forks, spoons (use metal and heat in warm water for wax and soap carving)
Toothpicks

Tips

Add in: sand, glitter, buttons, small plastic toys, etc.
Connect parts of sculptures with toothpicks or straws.

Blog Action Day: Going Green in the Classroom

As a participant in Blog Action Day, today I post on the important topic of the green classroom. Specifically, I want to encourage all of you crafty teachers and parents to seek art and project supplies in places other than your local Wal-Mart or Michaels. Instead of giving you a project today, I'm giving you an assignment. Go out and find a cheap or free place to get supplies, and bring back something you can use in your teaching sometime soon.

I hit my local Goodwills and Salvation Armies about once a month, and I always find something that can be repurposed in my classroom. Just last week I found one of those things you hang in a doorway with long strands of beads on it. Some of the strands will go into the dramatic play center, others for craft projects, and a heap of them would be awesome in the sensory table. I also found a ton of dress-up clothes, including several hats.

It's getting late in the season for yard sales in my region, but it may still be warm where you are. Check your local newspaper for ads and be on red alert for any that say "retiring teacher." Sales like that can be a gold mine.

Odds are you also have a place nearby that collects items from companies to be reused by schools. In my area, it's Ruth's. If not, you can call large companies and ask. Try printers for cardboard tubes and scrap paper, laboratories and hospitals for pipettes and science stuff, hardware stores for wallpaper sample books and brushes, and so on. Big stores usually have stuff they're eager to donate, and you never know what you might find. One approach is to come up with a list of possible items, and then write (or have your kids write) letters requesting donations.

Using recycled stuff in your art projects encourages creativity, teaches science, and fosters a respect for the environment. It also helps the planet and saves you money. You really can't lose, so go for it!

Beautiful Leaf Decorations

Here are two ways to create wonderful fall leaf decorations and art in your classroom. I did both of these with preschoolers, but they can be done by all ages and are very satisfying.

The first project involves coffee filters and markers. I know you've done this before, but they came out so well I had to mention it here. We used the extra-large, extra-thick ones from Discount School Supply, but regular ones will work as well. First, cut out various leaf shapes from the filters. Try to get a few different species so you have a variety. Then, have the kids color the leaves with markers. I limited them to red, orange and yellow, although you don't have to. Show them how to make dots or stripes on the leaves, as coloring the whole leaf in is unnecessary. Now just have them drip water on the leaves using pipettes. Don't let them put the whole leaves in water, or the color will leach out. Lay them on sheets of paper to dry and you'll have gorgeous translucent leaves that can be hung or taped to windows.

The second project is a classic, and with good reason. Collect real leaves, apply paint or ink to them, and press them against paper. Even using cheap children's tempera, you'll get wonderfully detailed veins. I liked using sponge rollers instead of brushes to apply the paint; brushes lay it on too thick and you get a globby mess. Also, place another piece of paper on top of the leaves and press on that rather than directly on them. This stops the leaves from shifting and creating blurry images. Finally, I suggest using plain white paper as your background. A few of my co-workers did the project with brown or green construction paper, and the detail just didn't show up as well as it did with white.

Happy fall!

Faux Stained Glass/Suncatchers

I'm sure most of my readers have done this, but on the off chance you haven't, I hope you'll try it!

To make wonderful faux stained glass, you will need construction paper, tissue paper, and clear Contact paper. The latter is easily found in any craft store or in the shelf linings section of Wal-Mart. First, choose a shape. I like to do shapes related to our current theme. This week we're doing Apples, so I drew a 7" apple shape on red construction paper. Cut out your shape, and then "stab" the center with the scissors so you can cut out the middle, leaving an unbroken frame about 3/4" thick. With symmetrical shapes, you can fold the paper in half and cut it that way... the same way you'd make a paper heart. Just make two cuts so it opens to a frame.

Now, cut a piece of Contact paper that is slightly larger than your frame. Peel off the backing and place the frame on the sticky side. For the apple project, I also cut out stems and leaves and stuck those on as well. Next, give the child some tissue paper and have them tear or cut it into small pieces. All they have to do is stick the tissue paper onto the sticky Contact paper inside the frame. Have them cover it up so there is no more stickiness showing.

You have a couple of options for finishing. You can stick the whole thing to a window as-is, although it might look odd if the child put tissue paper outside the frame (which they invariably do). You could also trim it, punch a hole, and hang it up. What I do is put a second piece of Contact paper over the tissue paper side. Press firmly to smooth out bubbles, and then cut off the excess sticky paper. Write their name on the frame with a Sharpie and tape it to a window. Beautiful! A real parent-pleaser, too.

Older students could create and cut their own frames, perhaps using craft knives to cut intricate shapes. There are plenty of online sources of free stained glass patterns that could be used - here's one place to start. Just thicken some of the lines with a marker to make cutting easier. This is a good project for all students to explore color concepts, too, since many hues are formed by the overlapping tissue paper.

By the way, a fun variation on this is to have the kids cover a whole window with tissue paper. If they adhere it with liquid starch it will be easy to remove later. Just paint the glass with a thin layer of starch and stick on the paper. A wide brush works best for covering large areas. You can skip the construction paper frames if you want, or add frames after it dries.

Pumpkin Picture Holder

I adore these simple picture holders made from polymer clay and wire. This would be a fun and easy project for any age. You could just as easily use real mini pumpkins and little gourds, or have several wires coming out of one big pumpkin... But if you still want to make the more permanent clay version visit 365Halloween for instructions. What a cute gift! Or use it to hold little signs and whatnot.

This is just the kind of project I want to feature on The Crafty Teacher: fast, simple, and adaptable to different abilities and themes. If you come across a project you think would be suitable for an appearance here, please email me the info at teachcraftily [at] gmail dot com.