Imaginative Clay Creations

Hi everyone! It's hard to believe it's the end of April. We have been looking forward to the snow finally melting away. As always, Mother Nature has other ideas.  Speaking of other ideas, the Maple  Tree group were eager to make creations that interested them as they have been making popular characters, food, and shapes using plus plus blocks.

So an educator brought forth air dry clay in which they would be able to create anything their hearts desire. The children were incredibly excited when they learned they would make something out of clay. Each child quickly sat down at a table and were given a sizeable chunk of clay. Their eyes sparkled when they finally decided what they would make.

There were a lot of details involved. Everything had to be just right. One child decided to make an animal sculpture - a koala. She carefully rolled pieces together and used popsicle sticks to make indentations. While she was creating her koala, she went on to tell the other children funny stories about her dog and how much she loved her. 

Two of the children decided on a collaborative effort. They instructed each other on how to create a basketball hoop. They pounded, squished, squeezed, and formed a miniature basketball hoop with a tiny ball to go with it. They even played a game which brought about much laughter as certain parts started falling off here and there. However, the children took it in stride and quickly stuck pieces back on. 

The children made all kinds of sculptures. There was a rainbow, a snake, an octopus, even a video game character called Kirby. One sports-minded child made several hearts. He explained he would give these hearts to special people he cared for. How sweet and thoughtful. 

After the clay sculptures dried, it was time to paint! The children picked various colours. Pink, blue, black, red, and yellow hues were popular. They proceeded to carefully brush their sculptures stroke by stroke. It was wonderful to hear them make comments about their sculptures while painting. What artists! When the children finished painting, they smiled in satisfaction as their sculptures were laid out before them to dry. The children remarked at how cute the koala and Kirby character looked.

Each child remarked how much they enjoyed creating and painting their sculptures. They couldn't wait until they could bring the sculptures home and show their loved ones. It was fun!

​- Leilani