Robot Sculptures

Rummage through the tool box for parts for clay sculptures.

You will need:

• 2/3 cup salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• Decorative embellishments and small hardware (we used nuts, bolts, screws, caps, etc.)
• Waxed paper lined cookie sheet for drying

Other ideas: sequins, googly eyes, pop-tops, bottle caps, hooks, etc.

How to:

1. In a small saucepan, mix the salt and baking soda with 1/3 cup of water and bring to a boil.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water. Stir well.
3. Remove salt mixture from heat and add the cornstarch mixture. Stir vigorously for a minute or two to thicken clay. Spoon onto waxed paper and allow to cool before working with it.
4. Shape clay into desired shapes and add embellishments for features. Use your imagination to figure out what each piece can turn into. (Screws with flat heads make great legs and will allow your figure to stand. Nails for eyes? Picture brackets for arms? A nut and bolt for a top hat? You decide!) Ours started out to be snowmen, but eventually we decided they looked more like robots.
5. Once your sculpture is finished, set on waxed paper and let dry. (Takes about two days to dry completely.)

Thoughts:

This was so easy to make...the first time. We have tried to make these a couple of times since and have had bad luck. Both times, even though I followed the directions exactly, the mixture came out too runny. I don't know what to say about it, because I cannot figure out why it worked so well the first time but none since.

Anyway, give it a try and see if you have better luck or if you can figure out the solution. This really is pretty cool. The figures held up very well until they got stored in Elliott's action figures box. Now they are missing a few parts. But other than that, they are pretty sturdy and get lots of play.

Elliott's Evaluation:

We still have them. They are in my action figures box. I liked going through all the tools. The legs are screws. The eyes are bolts. I like taking the top bolts off of Mommy's  robot's head.

Ghost Sculptures

Easy sculptures to make for Halloween

You will need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water
• Large bowl
• Mixing spoon
• Permanent markers



 

Get some aggression out with the dough!

How to:

 
1. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and water until a dough forms.
2. Shape small handful into desired form, making sure to flatten the bottom so that it will stand.
3. Place on a microwave safe plate and microwave at 20-30 second intervals for about 2 minutes, until form hardens. (CAUTION!!! Form gets very, very hot!)
4. Once cool, draw faces on with marker.

Thoughts:

This was a really easy project. The finished ghosts are cute and make great decorations around the house. Do not ignore my caution above, however. (As I did.) These forms do get very, very, very hot in the microwave! We made a couple of different shapes and the pieces seem to hold together well, as long as the pieces are a bit larger. (The cat we made lost his tiny tail almost immediately, but R2D2's legs have stayed on.) I'm going to try to surprise Elliott and make an attempt at creating Jabba the Hutt next time. Stay tuned for how well paint works on it.

The recipe is enough to make six ghosts, one cat and R2D2.

Elliott's Evaluation:

I liked making the dough into shapes and squeezing it. My ghosts are fun to play with. I love my R2D2.



Bird's Nest

It's a bird's MESS!

You will need:
There is no set list of materials you'll need for this project. Part of the fun is talking about birds and what things they might use to make a nest and to go on a hunt to find them in your yard. (or on a walk through your neighborhood) The items we used:

• Twigs
• Hay
• Grass
• Feathers
• Moss

Our collection of materials found in the yard.

And where we cheated (not that it helped us at all):

• Yarn
• Clay magic modeling clay

How to:

The challenge was to create our own bird's nest from materials we found in the yard. We did cheat a bit (well, a lot) by starting off with a bit of clay that we molded into the shape of a bowl. Then we just started randomly sticking the other materials into the bowl to make a nest.

Thoughts:

All hail the bird! Trying to make a bird's nest proved a huge challenge and gave me a whole new respect for a creature without opposable thumbs who can build a perfect little bowl of sticks....

An actual bird's nest. Amazing! I have a whole new respect for creatures who can build this with their beaks!

Our nest was an absolute disaster and Elliott had to cup his hands around it just to get it to stay together long enough for a decent picture. My vision of buying little fake birds to place inside our nest and displaying it proudly somewhere in the house was quickly crushed.

HOWEVER, (I put it in all caps, just to keep your attention, lest you were planning on not trying this project.) this craft was a big success as far as a fun time goes. I took the opportunity to check out a few bird books at the library beforehand and we spent days talking about birds and ways they could build nests. (Plus it helped that some Robins were building one in the front yard.) Elliott had so much fun collecting items for the nest. Even our neighbors got into the act and found some pieces he might be able to use. He had me in stitches (What exactly does that mean?) when he started to talk to a bird and I heard him asking, "What do you use in your nest?  How do you get it to stay together? Talk to me!" 

Needless to say the bird did not respond. If he had we might have had better luck.