creative jewish mom

Making Pictures With Modeling Clay: A Fun Activity Any Time!

When my children first brought home artwork from school using modeling clay on paper, I have to admit I didn't quite get the point. We never did anything like that where I'm from! Isn't modeling clay for making three dimensional objects, I thought? A few years have passed and I have come to appreciate the simple joy of smudging the clay around on a piece of paper—a tactile experience that isn't so messy, with cute results!
Younger children who haven't yet mastered coloring can produce works of art that they'll be happy with, while older children can get a bit more creative and make free form pictures with no lines to fill in.

On my recent trip to the United States we even worked on some pictures like these on the airplane! It was the perfect project. A few pieces of paper and a small package of multicolored modeling clay takes up very little room, the only question is what to do with the picture once it's finished. Hmmm.

My daughter made the picture of the house on a blank piece of paper, while the koala bear started out as a black and white line drawing.

You'll Need:

• modeling clay, the cheapest you can find
• computer paper or thin cardboard or bristol board
• line drawings from coloring books or drawn yourself
• white glue (optional, only for more advanced projects that you'd like to save)

How To:
Show kids how to take small pieces of modeling clay and start pushing and smudging them around to fill the spaces. To preserve works of art created on very heavy paper or bristol board, use a paint brush to apply a coat or two of white glue!

Classic Folded Paper Boats and Hats: A Great Craft + Activity To Do Today!

There was still some water left in our wading pool and given the severe drought we are suffering from here in Israel, I wanted to make sure we got every last ounce of usage out of that water before it is finally used to water plants and clean the porch. Then it came to me, why not show my children the simple joys of making folded paper boats! I sat down to see if I could remember how to actually make one, but my memory got me only as far as a paper hat, which didn't float very well! So I looked up how to actually make a boat, which resulted in the orange model above.

Nonetheless, paper hats would be fun to make, child-size from newspaper as my mother used to do for us, or from letter sized paper for stuffed animals and dolls! Children can draw on the boats or hats as my son did, or even decorate them with stickers, but I wouldn't invest too much time in them, as their lifespan is somewhat limited.

Paper folding in itself is a wonderful activity, especially for older children who can follow directions themselves and make multiples to use as decorations. There are many origami books on the market, as well as a specifically Jewish one, so spend some time encouraging your children to learn some new paper folding tricks, and they'll use them over and over again!

For complete paper boat folding instructions within this blog, click here.

Modeling Clay: A Classic Craft Actitivity For All Ages!

Modeling clay is one of those classic craft activities that seems to have been somewhat forgotten in light of all the amazing crafts and craft supplies now available to children. But in fact, modeling clay can be a really great spur of the moment activity, which may even keep some children busy for hours!

When my seven year old daughter came home with this oh-so-cute creation on a plastic plate, I just had to say WOW! I asked her how she knew how to make such a perfect bunny, and she just shrugged her shoulders....so it's a mystery to me!

And by the way, when you are nurturing your children's artistic abilities, don't forget to work in 3-dimensions! Sculpture is an integral part of any art training, and one of the easiest and most accessible ways to make sure that they get some modeling in their lives is with modeling clay!

Oh, and before I forget, the bunny actually came home with the most adorable sheep sucking a pacifier! The multicolored sheep is an example of true creative expression, and I know my daughter is good, but I still have a big question as to whether she's really that good! I may never know, but from now on I'm going to be sure to always have a fresh pack of modeling clay on hand for my little sculptress to use when she needs an easy craft activity.

Children who have not had much sculpting experience will need to be guided, so give them some help with forming basic shapes such a balls, squares, pyramids etc. Provide a base to create on, such as a plastic plate, and encourage them to create a complete scene. Older children could create scenes for a story, which could then be photographed and made into their very own illustrated book! How wonderful would that be?

Note: You might want to consider purchasing a book with step by step instructions for modeling all kinds of figures. A book of this sort is a good investment that can be used for years to come, by all ages, and is especially helpful for encouraging children who lack sculpting confidence, and for parents who could also use just a little help!

Baker's Clay: Keeping Little Hands Busy

The best way to keep your cool on a hot summer afternoon is to make sure those little hands are busy doing something productive! It isn't always the easiest thing to come up with a new and interesting project, so once in awhile when you feel like you just want to escape, pulling some ready-made dough out of the refrigerator can really save the day. This dough, called baker's clay can be baked and painted afterwards, but the idea here is to create without worrying about the outcome— to roll and pound and shape for the sake of learning how to sculpt! Get out the rolling pin, cookie cutters, forks and any other kitchen tools and let them have fun. If you happen to have a piece of styrofoam, you can make sculptures by attaching pieces of dough to the base and to each other with toothpicks and pieces of toothpicks. The dough can be colored with food coloring, beet juice and mildly tinted with spices like paprika and turmeric.

Recipe:
4 cups white flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water or as necessary to make soft dough

Mix all ingredients in bowl. If the dough is too dry work in extra water with hands. Color by dividing and adding coloring agent of choice to each portion. Roll, mold and sculpt as desired.

Flat cookie like items can be easily baked:
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet (or with baking paper) for 1 hour in 300 degree oven. Watch the progress of the baking, you may need to turn down the oven and bake longer and sometimes the dough bubbles and you don't want it to burn. You may need to turn the shapes over during the baking process. Remove and cool. When done, sand lightly if desired and paint.

Note: You can halve this recipe but do not double it. Dough should be used within 4 hours as it tends to dry out. I have stored extra dough in the refrigerator with good results.

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