Kids Art Projects – Creative Clay Creatures Inspire!

ART PROJECTS FOR KIDS – CREATIVE CLAY CREATURES – Successful and satisfying!

Oh, clay bugs, I have to love you! What is an adaptable project for many ages and abilities? CLAY CRITERION! You can adapt this project to so many themes and make it as a birthday party for preschoolers, or a big fair where not only children but also teenagers and adults can enjoy playing with clay. We have done this many times with multitudes of people. Learn my HOT TIPS FOR SUCCESS here!

HOT CLAY TIPS: My favorite clay: Vashon clay (from Seattle Pottery), preferably more than one color. Vashon clay air dries and does not need to be fired. It’s not very expensive, and it’s real.

Use the nifty clay wires with handles to cut clay… cut some clay into slices ahead of time if you’re dealing with crowds and hot weather. Place the sliced ​​clay in a small bucket covered with a damp towel to prevent the clay from drying out.

HELPFUL TIP ON Other Materials: This depends on your Critter theme. For example, “Clay Sea Critters” can use dried peas as scales on a mermaid tail. “Googly-eyed monsters” are well served with white beans, red beans. The straw makes great whiskers. Synthetic skin. Shingle. Branch offices. shells. Pineapples. Google eyes. Give people lots of options.

You also need some pens, paper towels/small lunch bags, material containers, sponges, water bucket.

Tools TIPS: I like simple tools, because children become more creative. The basics: kid-friendly rolling pins, popsicle sticks, real clay tools (although easy to lose in large crowds), toothpicks, blunt kitchen knives.

bug size: Artistic freedom is the key phrase! If you make samples that are small, children tend to make tiny creatures. The amount of clay you give the person will guide the size. If you have a stack of oyster shells and the creature will rest on a shell, that determines the size.

teaching on the go: It is useful to give some very basic simple instructions for younger children. Point out to people that clay shrinks a bit as it dries, so they should smooth the clay from leg to body so the creature doesn’t fall apart when it dries. Rolling the clay into balls is a good start: a larger ball to shape the body, smaller balls for the head, arms and legs.

HELPFUL TIP ON INSPIRATION: There is no wrong way to make clay bugs. Just have the kids play with the clay and watch them…if you have some basic samples made they may be inspired!

USEFUL TIP ON PRE-PREPARATION: Ahead of time: prepare – cover the tables with plastic tablecloths. I like the rolls of plastic sheeting that painters use, cut to size. Place your materials in many small containers: yogurt cups or paper trays that hold hot dogs. Have samples made.

HOT CLEAN TIP: Do it consistently – as you go along, especially at busy fairs, keep wiping down the tables. Sort the materials back into their trays. Clean up any little bits of clay, so there is room to work for the next kids. Have jars to store tools. If you are very organized, make the tools and materials readily available for creation. If the artboards are thrown away, it is difficult for children to make their art.

WATER – At larger events – DO NOT have a lot of water around! Have a bucket of water behind the tables for the staff to use with sponges to clean the tables, but if the kids start working with wet clay what a mess you have to clean up. Oh!

Saving the Critters: At fairs, children are encouraged to let their critters dry to be picked up before they leave. Install an additional table: the drying/display table. Give them a paper towel or small lunch bag, write their name on it so they can find it later and take it home.

THE BEST TIPS: Smile, have fun! You are awakening people to their own creativity!

Making Clay Critters can lead to a lifetime of clay making!