Playing With Clay

Sculpting Fun

 Jeanie Fair

March 2023 | 6 min read

  

Making clay imprints with leaves.

Sensory Play

Since Harry and Teddy were young they have always enjoyed playing with clay. This type of sensory play, exploring, moulding and sculpting sparked a natural interest. We used to make and play with salt dough for the simple reason it was so cheap! But also, the boys enjoyed adding and mixing the ingredients together. They would have their own mixing bowl and measure their own ingredients. It doesn’t matter if you add too much of any one thing – if the dough is sticky, add more flour and if the dough is crumbling, add more water.

The boys would stomp dinosaurs through the dough, leaving a trail of footprints behind. They would use cutters to make shapes and present pretend cookies on a plate which I would pretend to eat (we’ve all been there right?) When the dough dries and gardens, you can paint it. One disadvantage however is that salt dough does not last forever and as the boys have grown older, we now use clay for our creations.

Salt Dough Recipe

Harry and Teddy playing with salt dough dinosaurs.

Salt dough is cheap and easy to make. Just follow the instructions below to make your own.

All you need is:
• 1 cup of table salt
• 1/2 cup of plain flour
• 3/4 cup of water

MAKE SALT DOUGH

1. Measure and pour 1 cup of table salt into a bowl.
2. Measure and pour ½ a cup of plain flour into the bowl.
3. Mix the flour and salt with your hands.
4. Measure ¾ cup of water.
5. Pour the water into the bowl a little at a time and continue mixing with your hands.
6. Repeat until all the water is gone and the mixture is a dough-like consistency.

TIP: If the dough is sticky, add more flour, if the dough is crumbling, add more water. Once your child has made their final creations, the dough will air dry over three days. You can also dry it in the oven on a low heat. The amount of time it takes to harden will depend on the size of the sculpture.

Finding Inspiration in Nature

Teddy in the garden making leaf imprints.

When we looked at Art In Nature as a topic, we explored different textures and used clay to make different prints. We used leaves, flowers, stems and shells to make moulds in the clay.

The most exciting part of this activity was leaving clues as to what the dinosaur ate, inside the sculpture. We used uncooked pasta to represent dinosaur bones and small pieces of green paper to represent plant matter.

Once the clay was dry, Harry and Teddy painted the moulds, carefully retracing the lines made by the different nature items we had found. Not only did the boys produce some lovely artwork, but they were able to take a closer look at plants and the way they are made.

Cave Paintings

Teddy recreating cave artwork.

We had a lot of fun using clay whilst learning about the Stone Age and the cave paintings people have discovered. During this activity we used clay to create a rough ‘canvas’. Although not a real cave, the boys could experience painting on this stone like texture. It helped in giving them some context to the art we were learning about and about life in those times.

Pottery in the Bronze Age

Our pinch and coil bronze age pots.

Towards the end of the Stone Age and the beginning of the Bronze Age, pottery became an important tool for humans as farming became more widespread and common. Pots were used to store and cook food. So of course, we had to delve deeper and explore the ways pots were made.

We looked at two different techniques in sculpting pots including a pinch pot and a coil pot. I even made a demonstrative video (below) to help others try out these techniques. Personally, I preferred the pinch pot as all you need is one ball of clay and you don’t even need to use a surface. Harry however found the coil pot easier to make.

Sculpting Dinosaur Poo!

Creating dino coprolite.

Whilst looking at the topic of Fossils, we had a lot of fun sculpting dinosaur poo, also known as coprolite. (see video below) To make this simply follow the salt dough receipt above. The key is to add coffee granules to the mixture which turns the dough a very brown colour. This makes the sculptures appear uncomfortably realistic! We talked about different shaped poo of the animals we know today and how this differs from animal to animal.

The most exciting part of this activity was leaving clues as to what the dinosaur ate, inside the sculpture. We used uncooked pasta to represent dinosaur bones and small pieces of green paper to represent plant matter. We then placed these inside the sculptures.

Once the sculptures had dried and we finished admiring the life like poo, the boys swapped the sculptures, carefully breaking them up to discover whether the fossil samples belonged to herbivores or omnivores. This could be worked out through what they found inside.

Roman Coins

Painting Roman coins made with clay.

Our most recent topic to explore has been looking at the time period when there were Romans In Britain. This has opened up new ways for us to use and learn through clay. Harry really enjoys counting money and was excited to make Roman coins using clay. We shaped the clay into small round balls and flattened them with our palms to make coin shapes. Then using a sharp pencil, we scratched marks into the clay to show the value of the coin, a human profile and where the coin was made. Thus, our coins were minted. When they were dry, we painted them silver and gold.