Super Sculptures

Tiny Tuesdays at the OKCMOA is a program for children ages 2-5. It is come and go art class designed for little ones. This month was filled with super sculpture making fun.



We talked about what sculpture is and got busy.

I had portions of clay in bags ready to go. I had the children warm up the clay in their hands first and create whatever shape they wanted.



Items were on the table ready to go!



Using our fine motor skills we picked little items to stick in our clay and even used our pincer grasp to thread beads on pipe cleaners.



You will need:
-Crayola Air Dry Clay
-Sequins, beads, pipecleaners, feathers, and more
-cardboard to sit clay on

Sand Casting

Today at the OKCMOA I shared two kinds of sculptures. We made relief and 3-D sculptures. They are turned out wonderful! This is a project your children will love and an idea you can incorporate with different school subjects as well. Not only is it fun for fossils and Science, but many sculpture artists use molds to create their works and this is an easy way for children to learn about how that is done.

First we started with the relief sculptures. We accomplished these by sand casting, or making molds in sand.

First we start with damp sand in a dish. The sand needs to be a little wet so it will take the imprint of the object.


I told the children to smooth the sand with their hands and choose objects that they wanted to mold. I had a variety of items; little plastic bugs and army men, pony beads, shells etc. You gently push the item into the sand and remove it.





Then I mixed the plaster and poured it over the sand tapping the dish lightly to remove any air bubbles. NOTE: NEVER PUT PLASTER INTO A SINK.

I have several portions of plaster measured out so all I need to do is add water and have the kids start mixing.





The molds need to sit for 30 minutes!

What do we do for 30 minutes?



Make more sculptures! We talked about 3-D sculptures and used scrap paper to create them.













30 minutes is up! Let's check on our sand castings.

They are ready! Gently unmold over a bucket or box, whatever you have on hand. You can re-use the sand. Use your hands and then a paint brush to lightly brush away the sand away revealing the items you pressed in the sand. The kids were amazed!



















For sand casting you will need:
-damp sand
-deep plate
-plaster of paris, water and mixing bowls and disposable spoon
-items to mold

For paper sculptures you will need:
-paper
-scissors
-glue sticks
-color tape optional

Wire Sculpture Cars

I did an entire semester on wire in college. Back then I worked for weeks to create a wire hairdryer. This brought back a lot of memories for me. There are really so many things you can create simply by bending wire!

Using the Jonathan Hils exhibition at the OKCMOA as inspiration, children of all ages used wire and beads to create their own car creations.



First I had the children draw their template on paper. Then using a heavy gauge of steel wire (which is actually quite pliable with hands) they began to bend the steel to create the outline for their car.





At this point small gauge wire of different colors is woven and wrapped around to create a grid pattern. Beads were added for fun if the artist wanted to use them.



Here are a few of our creations:













CAUTION: wire can be sharp. Also, be wary of where the end of your wire is.

You will need:
-heavy gauge steel wire
-decorative color wire
-beads
-wire cutters
-pliers can also be used

Hanging Sculptures

What a weekend! If you are local, chances are I saw you at the OKCMOA's super sized Family Day! It felt like the entire city was there. It was a huge crowd of all ages that enjoyed the many activities revolving around the Jason Peters exhibit.

Be sure to save the date for the next family day. It is Sat. May 22 and it will revolve around the next exhibit, Sketch to Screen: The Art of Hollywood Costume Design.

Amid the facepainting, scavenger hunts, story times and dance, there were 3 art activities featuring three different artists. I made hanging sculptures. (I'd say the average age of my little artists was age 4, and as young as 2.) We folded, bended, hole punched and cut a variety of papers and attached them to a strip of tagboard that we made into a circle. When we were finished, we punched 2 holes at the top and threaded some yard to hang these beautiful moving hanging sculptures. They turned out great!

Some of these kids really got creative. The little ones liked using the hole punch-that is a great fine motor skill for your little ones to build hand/muscle coordination!



While a glue stick is good for adding small things to the top of your sculpture, tape is instant hold and will hold the heavier items better. Thinking about Peters: Focus on using all scraps! You cut it, punch it, you use it! The punched areas also allow light to come through which is a fun feature.

You will need:
-strip of tagboard/posterboard for the top
-Variety of papers
-scissors
-hole punch
-yarn
-tape
-glue stick

Here are a few examples!













This last one is not hanging, but was a really interesting. She told me it was an homage to the artist, Jason Peters. They added pieces from the Museum handouts they got-including a Peters portrait, attached their exhibit tickets...very fun. Love to see people expand on a basic idea! This is why I do what I do. I love to watch creative minds at work!