Overview
In this activity, children will explore transforming clay with their hands.
Materials
- Clay (or playdough)
- Carboard to work on
Activities
First, let’s explore the clay.
- What do you notice about it?
- Touch it with your hand. How does it feel?
How can you use your hands to change the clay?
Try using both hands to roll the clay, around and around.
- What happened to the clay when you rolled it? Did it get round?
Use both hands to roll the clay back and forth.
- What happened to the clay when you rolled it this way? Did it get longer?
Let’s try rolling it a different way. How can you change this long piece? Maybe you can twist it.
- What happened to the clay this time? Does it have a spiral?
How can you make it back into a big piece again? Try pressing it back together.
- What happens if you keep pressing it? It starts to get flat like a pancake.
You can use your thumb to poke the clay.
- What happened to the clay? It has a hole in it.
You can also try pinching the clay. What does pinching look like?
- What happened to the clay when you pinched it?
You can even break your clay into pieces. You can always press them back together and start all over again
- When you are done, move around what you made so you can see all the different sides.
How did you change the clay with your hands?
Reflection
When you are done, look at what you made. Move around what you made so you can see all the different sides.
- How did you change the clay with your hands?
Video
Credits
Written By:
Andrea Burgay, Director of Digital Learning
Lesson Development:
Julie Applebaum, Senior Director
Sassy Kohlmeyer, Director of Early Childhood Programs
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