beginnerswork

CLAY



In the beginning the most fun is pulling and pounding the piece of clay... all this pulling is wonderful for strengthening the muscles in your beginner's hands and wrists and for finding out what her hands can do. "Roll it, pat it..." You can pieces she makes them to reinforce future 1-1 correspondence, the count as she puts them back. She will notice your interest in this activity.

Begin a log shape for her and model rolling, show her how to make snakes, shaped like an S that say S-S-S-S-S-S.

Snakes you make together will make bracelets and crowns...which are immediately squashed for recycling into more bracelets and crowns. This process is wonderful fun and clay is the best medium for experimenting.

              

    NOTE: the clay we use is made by Crayola and is called MODEL MAGIC. It's wonderful, neat and when saved in a plastic bag, lasts for a long time OR if you create a keeper...it will air dry. After twenty years of teaching with play dough (purchased and home made) this is a great improvement and worth every penny. If it begins to dry put a damp (not wet) piece of paper towel in the bag, then knead it before using.

  

WHAT DO YOU HEAR?

Here is a game you can play with your beginner... it teaches imagining, visualizing and fine motor skills. You will be modeling these skills, the most effective way to teach.

1. Create a large ball of clay. Hold it to your ear.

2. Say, "What do you think is in here? I hear a bird..." This will illicit a confused yet curious look from your beginner. Soon she will recognize that the game is on...

3. Hold it to her ear and say, "Do you hear it?" You should be making bird sounds. Again confusion mix with anticipation.

4. You say "Well, let's see... here's a head..." as you begin to shape a head by pinching the clay. Don't give it to her until you have pinched a beak, wings and tail. She will be amazed. Give it to her but know that she will look at it then squish it and ask for more.

NOTE: The artistic level of this activity is very low... so pinch away with abandon. Once you have created a bird ten times you can move on to a dog...or a dinosaur or anything that makes a noise or not... a tree for example. Later you can make characters and tell a story... bring it to a restaurant in a plastic bag and amaze your friends!

The skills you will both learn and the imaginative play are endless. This game will remain a favorite until she least 6 yrs. old and by then she will be making the magic.

    

CLAY PLAY - family

We have been playing with clay and I have been making animals, so I thought I'd try people.

My beginner has a new baby brother so what better then to make a clay family.

 I made a Mommy, Daddy and baby and the big sister (of course they all had hats.) She made a cradle. AND she didn't squash any of them. We played family for twenty minutes. The sections of the highchair tray became beds.