Kids love working with their hands, and there's nothing better for fighting boredom than clay projects. There are a few things kids need to know about clay, and you should have a specified work area. But once you set up the area, the only thing left to do is start creating.
Instructions
1. Set up the work area by taping down newspaper or wax paper onto a table or the floor. If using newspaper, the print may rub off onto the clay. Make sure the kids know not to put the clay in their mouth or use anything that they need to eat off of in the future when working with the clay.
2. Give the kids tools for working with the clay. Cookie cutters, old silverware, toothpicks, rolling pins and pizza cutters all make good clay working tools. Just make sure that you don't need any utensils you use with the clay, since most clays are toxic.
3. Pick one or two simple projects that the kids can do independently. It's a good idea to have a finished sample to show them, and to also demonstrate start the project.
4. Choose projects such as coil pots, clay hand prints, clay magnets, beads and spiders for the kids. Coil pots involve rolling strips of clay and stacking them to create a pot. Beads are just small balls that you poke a hole through with a toothpick. Magnets can be any design you like, and spiders are simply large, black clay balls with pipe cleaners poked into the sides for clay.
5. Cook the clay projects and then provide paints, glue, beads, glitter and other decorative items for the kids to decorate their clay projects. If making beads, give the kids fishing line to make necklaces or bracelets.
6. Have the kids wash their hands thoroughly once they're done with the clay projects. This is important since clay is toxic and kids notoriously put their hands in their mouths.
