What you need:
- bendable floral wire (or pipe cleaners for younger children)
- clay
- yarn, plastic eyes, other decorative materials
What to do:
- Share pictures and books about sculpture with your child.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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