More Animals Everywhere

Today was an exciting day! Last week the students created their own animals based on our discussion on animal adaptations. Today they got to make their animals using Sculpey clay. Because we were going to be working with clay, there needed to be some extra preparation.
I reviewed proper procedures for working with Sculpey clay. Because it is a polymer clay, it does not air dry. It also doesn't dry out from excessive handling. It starts out stiff from being cold, but as you work it in your hands, it warms up and becomes more pliable. It also needs to be used on a proper working surface, so I took that into consideration as I made my preparations to arrive at the school.

For today's lesson, I brought the following supplies:
- Wax paper to be used as the working surface while the students modeled their animals.
- Toothpicks to be used to strengthen the structure of the animals legs, wings, necks, etc.
- Sample boxes so that the students could make sure their animal was not too big.

Mrs. Black provided the clay and other materials such as scissors for cutting toothpicks. The toothpicks were necessary so that the animals would be able to stand on their legs and so that the heads or wings would not droop down. Sculpey becomes more pliable when it is warmed. It hardens after being heated to 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes for every quarter inch of thickness. Knowing that the clay could droop slightly before hardening in the oven, I instructed the students to reinforce their animals with the toothpicks.
Another way to create a stable structure would be to first make an armature with tin foil and cover that in clay. Since we were working on a small scale, that process would have been excessive.
I arrived to class early so that I could prepare the clay for the students and get the wax paper cut to fit on their desks. Mrs. Black had bought a large block of clay, per my request, and I spent the first 45 minutes dividing the clay into 24 balls and kneading the clay to get it pliable and warm for the students to work with. While I was preparing, Mrs. Black saw to the classes instruction in their regular subjects, reviewing math, spelling, and cursive. Once I was ready, she turned the time over to me so that we could being working on the animals.
I began by reviewing what we had done last week. A few of the students had been absent last Tuesday, so we got them caught up. I then explained what we would be doing today, modeling our animals out of clay. Since clay can be messy, I then laid down some ground rules with the help of the students. I asked them what they thought should be some rules for working with clay. They responded with, no throwing the clay, don't drop the clay on the floor, don't eat the clay, and work at your desk. Those were good rules and I felt that they were sufficient, so I informed them that if they kept those rules, we would be able to use the clay. If they broke the rules, I told them that they would receive a few warnings before we had to stop modeling.
With the ground rules in place, I began to demonstrate how to use the clay. I had a ball of clay the same size that they would all receive and I showed them how to knead the clay to get it more pliable. I then demonstrated some basic modeling with pinching as well as adding parts to create eyes, ears, legs, etc. I also informed them of the necessity of toothpicks to strengthen the legs and other parts of their animals while demonstrating one way to make legs using the toothpicks.
After the instruction was over, I had some students help me distribute the wax paper and toothpicks. Once that was done, I gave each student a ball of clay and let them get to work.
While the students were working, I walked around the room to answer questions and offer help where necessary. They were all excited to create their animal, with the exception of a few students who seemed a little lost. I took some time to help them get started and brainstorm how they might start making their animals. I helped them draw out their animal based on what they wanted their animals to look like. This was mainly for those students who had been absent last week.
With the other students I would help them check to make sure their animal wasn't too big to fit in the boxes, access if the parts of their animal were attached proper, and help them figure out how to make those parts of the animals that they were having difficulty.
Everyone was excited to make an animal. They were also quite proud of their creations and would come to show me when they were done. Because some students were getting done before the rest of the class, I needed to find something for them to do so that they wouldn't disturb those still working. Mrs. Black had a cursive worksheet that we decided would be a good activity for those early finishers. I got the classes attention using Mrs. Black's clapping rhythm. I then explained to the students the worksheet and instructed them how to let us know when they were done. Mrs. Black also had the students start gathering their finished animals at the back of the room.
When it was getting time for recess, I reminded the students of where they needed to put their finished animals. Once the students left for recess, I helped Mrs. Black clean up the wax paper and excess toothpicks. I then went over the baking instructions for the clay with her since she would be in charge of doing that. We also discussed the plan for next week and what needed to be done before next Tuesday. The students are excited to paint their animals and their little habitats. Next week looks like it will be a great time as well.