Ionic Order Column

This cute little column is the creation of my oldest daughter. I asked her what she wanted to work on today and she wanted to work with clay and thought back to her Greek projects and though it would be great to make a column and then make something from her imagination. After searching from the right medium and not finding just what she wanted in enough quantity she asked for help. I gave her directions for a baked baking soda clay.

• Large Sauce Pan
• Wooden Spoon
• 2 cups of Baking Soda
• 1 cup corn starch
• 2 cups water

   (Will air dry in 48 hours, DON’T HEAT)

She added all ingredients to the sauce pan and heated them on medium heat and kept stiring until she couldn’t stir anymore and the dough was a solid mass. The she let it all cool for about 20 minutes while she researched what kind of column she would make knowing there are three basic kinds. When it was cool, she kneading the clay until it was easy to work with. It was a bit sticky.

She tried twice to make a column, but with this dough it fell over over the first time. The second time she put large popsicle sticks in it for support. This didn’t work so well. This not working she asked for help. I suggested using some of the cardboard tubing we had left over from wrapping paper. She cut this to size and hot glued it to a box base. She formed the clay around it and it held up really well.

When she was finally happy with it she was too tired to work on any other art for the day and so feeling accomplished with part of her homeschool day, took a break and went to visit a friend. I think it is important when homeschooling to ask your children what they want to do, what they want to learn, even if they don’t have a choice in all lessons, some choices at all will really help your child thrive in themselves, making and meeting goals and feeling like people listen to them and care about what they think. We do, don’t we? I do anyway.

This clay will dry in the air in a day or two, don’t heat! (Specially if you used a base such as she did and build around something!)

Day Three Photo-A-Day

Thank you to my oldest daughter for letting me share her project online and letting me use it to inspire my Day three post! Lets hope I can keep up this year, taking a photo every day and posting about them!