Skinny Sculptures

What you need: 

• bendable floral wire (or pipe cleaners for younger children) 
• clay 
• yarn, plastic eyes, other decorative materials 

What to do:

1. Share pictures and books about sculpture with your child.
2. Together, create a basic human figure. First, bend the wire in half. Make a loop at the top for the head. Twist wire to make the neck, and then bend and twist to make the arms. Bend and loop wire to make legs.
3. Roll clay into small balls to make hands and feet and then press them into the wire. If desired, add a ball of clay for the head, and decorate with yarn (to make hair) and plastic eyes.
4. If the project grabs your child's interest, make a whole wiry family! Brainstorm new ways to accessorize and personalize each figure, such as with clothing you create or by using a toothpick (supervise your child carefully) to scratch features onto your sculpture's face.

Learning benefits: 

• Encourages creativity 
• Introduces sculpture as an art form