a while back i posted a blog about making impressions of natural objects in sculpey after a nature walk. it was one of my favorites…
since we discovered that sculpey is fairly toxic when baking, i decided to try this out again, but this time using crayola model magic
then we let it dry for 24 hours, and strung it on a leather cord along with a few earthy wooden beads we had in our stash. and there you have it – our ode to california farewell gift.
after making so many wooden easter and springtime friends, novi really wanted to make more out of “clay.” since we don’t have a kiln over here, i busted out the model magic, and she got down to business.
novi made lots of eggs and a caterpillar. i also helped her make the 2 spring chickies you see above, and a bunny.
it took two days for the model magic eggs to dry (they’re dense, even though they’re lightweight.) when they were ready, we painted them with acrylics. we first had a lesson in what-happens-to-each-color-of-the-rainbow-when-mixed-with-white-paint? PASTELS FOR SPRING!
we had a little painting party…
we probably got more paint on our hands than the figures and eggs, but it was all good clean fun.
we loved decorating our home with our new little spring sculptures…
okay, it’s not revolutionary to play with play-doh… but it is a staple of childhood. opening a canister of play-doh set my olfactory memory off on a trip to the 70s, squeezing dough hair through plastic heads in my play-doh hair factory. as an adult and a mom, i usually opt to make my own play dough with novi, but sometimes the neon colors and unmatched squishiness of play-doh is irresistible.
so when novi got play-doh AND dough tools for her birthday last week, i was psyched to have an excuse to use the stuff again! she can sit for HOURS (literally, it’s magic) and sing, play, create, chatter, rhyme. (in fact, she is playing with it right now as i type this beside her.)
my sister (novi’s aunt kim) gave novi a a set of dough tools that melissa and doug makes
so i had to give a little nod to the creators of this modeling compound in all of its fluorescently pliable unnaturalness for the guilt-free momma-time it provides while productively stimulating kids’ minds, hands, and senses for decades.
crayola’s model magic
novi had a great time squishing and smooshing the model magic for a long while before we made any “thing.” this sort of art-making time is what it’s all about — it’s the process, not the product. in those moments, she is having a sensory experience, and she is fully engrossed in imaginal play, telling stories and making up dialog and voices. i live to listen to these activities, and it seems like sculpting supplies really brings my daughter into that inventive space. (of course, paint does, too. i love art.)
her first creation today was a sphere that got smooshed, and then she gave it a face. she’s getting good at figure representation.
first face sculpture
then i remembered that i saw this clay owl on the 4 crazy kings blog, and i knew i had to make some! novi and i both adore owls (they’re one of my totem animals,) as do many of my friends, so these will make festive autumn gifts, or perhaps holiday ornaments. we followed the simple instructions from the blog, and made an entire owl family. novi was able to help me make the balls, smoosh them, and also to indent the feathers and eyes with the end of a marker.
magical owl family
then we got model magic happy and made some cats, fish, and turtles, too! this goop comes in tons of colors, but i like to get it in white because it’s easy and fun to paint and/or color with markers.
colorized
we brought these animals to life with paint after they had hardened 24 hours after making them. such fun!
creatures with features
