Dino Plaster Casts

This was a big hit, and I think I worked out a system where 20 to 30 casts could be poured in about 50 minutes without any tears ... especially mine!

1. Give each student a square of heavy cardboard (about 6" ), a ball of clay (about 4" diam.) and a toy...

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Turkey Pinch Pot

I found this pinch pot in Arts & Activities magazine and it's a great project for 1st graders on up.
1. Give each student a lump of modeling clay about the size of a small apple. Point out that softening the clay is an important first step and this is done by wetting the clay and squeezing it until it becomes warm. They then roll it into a smooth ball.
2. To form the pinch pot, the students press their thumb into the middle of the ball and pinch the sides until a bowl is formed with sides about the thickness of a pancake.
3. The students then pinch together one side of the bowl to form the turkey head. On the opposite side, the clay is pinched flat and curved to form the tail. When the shape is complete, feathers are etched into the sides.
4. Fire the clay, paint with glaze, and fire again. A very cute addition to your Thanksgiving table!

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3D Paper Mache Letter

If you like those cool Pottery Barn letters but not the price, make your own.

1. My son's letter is about 9" tall. Start by drawing a big block letter on corrugated cardboard and cut out. Trace a second letter and cut it out also.
2. Get some styrofoam or similar cups and cut at least 5 to the same height and glue to one of the letters. When dry add glue to the edges of the cups, and in effect make a sandwich with the second letter. Make sure the letters are aligned so that it will stand and cover the edges with masking tape.
3. Mix up a batch of paper-mache and cover the entire letter with several layers of paper strips. If you really want a sturdy letter, have another mache session and let dry for at least a day.
4. Paint the letter with acrylic paint. I've found it best to paint the background first and then come back the following day to add details. When finished, paint with Mod Podge to add polish and protection for the paint.

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3D Laurel Burch Cat

You can use this idea to turn any silhouette into a 3-dimensional shape. Just make sure you use a thick paper so your design will stand up nice and straight.

1. I love using Laurel Burch's cats as inspiration for projects, her style is so fun to imitate. I made a two cardboard templates of a silhouette (see picture) and had the students trace each onto the heaviest watercolor paper I could find.
2. Each student is to cut out their two cats, including the narrow slits. They need to be about 1/32" wide to accommodate the thick paper. Test sliding the cats together to make sure the slits are working.
3. The students may then draw in pencil their cat design, which they need to repeat on both sides of the two paper cats. When the design is done, they paint in the shapes and designs on their cat with liquid watercolor.
4. After the paint is dry, I gave each student a gold poster paint marker and had then trace all the pencil lines. When the marker is dry, slide the cats back together and enjoy seeing your cat from all directions!

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Dinosaur Fossils

This is really fun for students that are learning about fossils and imprints.
1. I found some inexpensive plastic dinosaurs skeletons at Oriental Trading Company, which are perfect for this project. I used regular clay for the imprints, play dough would work also.
2. To prepare for the plaster pouring, give each student a 5" square of cardboard, an 11" x 2" strip of heavy weight paper, a bit of tape, and the 2.5" ball of clay. The students are to tape their strip of paper into a ring, overlapping about an inch. With the paper ring laying on the cardboard, they should make their ball into a flat "pancake" that will fit inside the circle.
3. With the "pancake" removed from the paper ring, the student is to take a dino and make an impression into the clay, using the side of the head. If there is room, a foot print may be added. Make sure they make a firm imprint.
4. The "pancake" gets placed back in the paper ring, impression side up. Plaster is mixed with water until it is the consistency of pudding, and then poured into the ring. Pour enough plaster to make a layer that is about 1" thick.
5. After the plaster has dried (about an hour) the paper ring can be torn away and the dough can be removed. If it sticks to the plaster, let it dry 24 hours and then scrub with a brush under water.
6. After the plaster fossils are clean and dry, paint them with very watered-down paint. Watercolor or tempera work, anything to give the plaster a muddy look.
My son loved making this model in the 2nd grade.

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Make a Paper Pumpkin

This project turned out to be a very quick and easy way to make a 3D shape out of strips of paper.

1. I used orange construction paper in the standard 9"x12" size, and then used a paper cutter to make a pile of orange strips that were 1" wide by 12" tall. The students were given 10 strips of paper, a push pin and two paper fasteners. They were to stack the strips and use the push pin to help make a hole in each end through all the layers.
2. The pin is removed and replaced by the paper fastener. It's best to push it through just a couple of layers at a time.
3. The paper fastener legs are opened and the strips are adjusted around each pin until they are equally spaced apart and a globe shape takes place.
4. Black eyes and mouth are cut out and glued on with a glue stick. A string of yarn may be tied to one end.

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