Clay Medallions

This project can be completed with either firing clay or air dry clay. It's a fun and simple project using texture, but could lend itself to many content goals. For example, as designs and imagery are an important part of many cultures, this project could be integrated with a social studies unit (i.e. Aztec designs). You could also focus on patterns for younger children or radial symmetry for older students. Children could study ancient coins or make their own during an economics unit... Many options here, but the basic design principles are the same.

I used Sculpt-it air dry clay as we created our medallions the day the kiln was firing. Next time I do this project, however, I'll try it with firing clay as glazing effects would be beautiful and suitable for outdoor display. This would be a nice school garden installation or community building project as well.

1. Roll clay into a golf-ball sized piece.
2. Flatten into a "cookie."
3. Add texture to your liking.
(I used texture tools we found on nature walks as ours was part of a natural world exploration.)
4. Make holes in the top and bottom of each medallion. (Note that the bottom medallion would only need one hole.)
5. Let dry or fire.

6. To finish, we painted these with  metallic acrylics. I watered down the paint in order to give it a more antique look.
7. I cut lengths of aluminum wire for children to link their medallions together because it's very pliable and easy for small hands to work with, though any wire or large jump rings would work.

Air-Dry Clay: 2 Projects

If you decided to explore using air-dry clay, here are a couple of ideas for using Sculpt-It and Model Magic. (Referred to in this post).

Creative Creatures, Dr. Seuss Inspired Birds:

Using Sculpt-it, children can create their own funky bird. We made these in conjunction with Dr. Seuss's birthday and a Dr. Seuss classroom study with Kindergarten students. Reading a Dr. Seuss book and discussing his wacky characters provides a great intro to this project. We also looked at the book, The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss which is a great resource for this lesson.

Helping children portion their clay can be key to this project depending on the age of the kids. I gave them a large piece and had them split it in half. They then took one half and split it in half again. Now they have one large and two medium pieces. They take one of the medium pieces and split it in half one more time for a total of one large, one medium, and two small pieces. Each are then rolled into balls. The large piece becomes the body, the medium piece is the head, and the two small pieces (flattened) are the feet. Using precut skinny dowels, children connect all the pieces (a dot of glue in each hole where the dowels connects helps to really secure the bird). I then give one more small piece of clay which they form into a beak and attach with a tiny "sip" of water on their finger. I then help the children mount their bird onto a piece of foam board with a glue gun (a supporting stick is placed in the back of the bird and wedged into the foam board). Children then add feathers--wings, head, and tail. The following day, they can paint the beak yellow, and eyes and feet black.

Some dried moss around the feet adds a nice finishing touch to this project.

Model Magic Insects:

This would be a quick and fun project during an insect study. After discussing ants specifically, we each built our own--with a head, thorax, and abdomen. During this guided lesson on how to use Model Magic (teaching children how to roll balls, press the clay together, insert legs and antennae--a dot of glue helps at the point of insertion in the clay) children really got the hang of the material. I then opened it up for children to make their own "insect" creations. Offering a variety of colors, children had lots of fun problem solving how their insects would stand up, what their habitat would be, what they'd eat, and of course what they'd look like.

google eyes finish off this simple insect project

All About Clay

As the most accessible medium for children to work within the 3rd dimension, clay is not something to be missed. From an early age, children are drawn to squishing, squeezing, and playing with clay. Young children enjoy the purely tactile experience, while older children get to see their creation come alive in sculptural form.

There are many considerations when deciding on what type of clay to provide for your young artist to explore. First, you'll need to decide if you want hardening or non-hardening clay. Hardening clay comes in two forms--earthenware or stoneware that you fire in the kiln, or air dry or oven bake clay that does not require firing.

If you want hardening clay but don't have access to a kiln, the next best thing is Sculpt-It. (For simplicity's sake, I generally stay away from clay that you have to bake in the oven.) Sculpt-It air dries within about half an hour but will fully harden overnight. In order to attach two pieces together, simply rub a touch of water on the area and press together for a secure bond. Sculpt-It comes in colors, but I prefer white which children can easily paint once dry. The other option that is great for air-dry clay is Model Magic. It looks wonderful in colors, and attaches by simply pressing together. It does dry, but is never totally hard (unlike Sculpt-it). I use Model Magic for the vibrant colors and when I don't have time or want the kids to have to paint on a different day.

As far as non-hardening (modeling) clay goes, there are several options. Young children seem to love non-hardening clay, especially when combined with some great texture tools like textured rollers or a garlic press. They can push and play to their hearts' content and the clay never cracks or dries out (which can be frustrating for younger children). I've tried several kinds and brands of modeling clay, though certainly not all of them. My favorite is EZ Shape (by Sculpey). I like it because it's wax based which makes it very pliable even at cooler room temperatures. Children can get easily frustrated when modeling clay is too hard for them to work with (which often happens with modeling clays), and the wax based EZ Shape is always just the right amount of squishy.