MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS GRADE 2

Once again I was invited to the Grade 2 class. 

This week we are making a

 plaster craft for Mother's Day gifts.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Burlap for the backing (garden grade)
• Plaster of Paris
• Water
• Plasticine
• Assortment of items for making the mold
• Markers
• cards
• string
• wax paper
• Plastic cups and spoons for mixing plaster
• Rolling pin for rolling out plasticine

We provided an eclectic assortment of items.

You could instead do a theme such as the

seashore, birds, trees, pens and pencils an so on.

I rolled out the plasticine ahead of time as

it is a bit hard for grade two hands to roll out.

Once it was rolled out it was placed on a

piece of wax paper.

The plasticine "pancakes" were passed out

for the students to start making their impressions.

 The selected items are pressed into the plasticine

and then gently removed.

Many of the students were quite adept

at writing in a mirror image so that their

impressions might be read after the

plaster had set. Others wrote normally

creating a secret message for Mom that

she could read by holding it up to a mirror.

The burlap reinforces the plaster strengthening

it and also making something from which it

may hang.

Once the molds were ready the plaster of paris

was mixed and poured over the mold. The burlap

was then gently pressed into the wet plaster. Each piece

was then left in the classroom over night to dry.

In the morning the students gently peeled away

the plasticine from the now hardened plaster.

The students were so excited as their work

came into view.

We waited another 5 hours for drying before colouring them

with markers. The damp plasticine will absorb the

colour leaving it white and needing to be coloured again.

Each artist expresses their uniqueness!