THE TODDLER AND CLAY: MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and this mama needs some hand-made goodies from her babies. Seeing how cautious E and V have been with dough during dinner preparation made me realize that they are ready for clay and playdoh. The last time we tried clay they just weren’t ready for it–although we did end up creating some treasured handprints. So I was really excited to see how this would go.

No expectations. If you go into a craft with a specific turnout of their creations in mind, it’s just not going to be a good time. And that’s exactly what we did. I did have something in mind, only because I figured that however, their final product turned out, it could be used for this. (The clay we used.)

Have you heard of a butterfly puddler? It’s a shallow container that you mix sand and salt into then add just enough water to create a little puddle on top. The minerals attract butterflies and encourage them to regularly return. Observing the girls with dough, they regularly poke it. So I thought a butterfly puddler would be ideal.

I actually wanted to create a puddler, so I worked side-by-side E and V doing my own thing–this also stopped me from interfering with their process unless they decided to mouth it. E would watch while I pounded my clay and would copy. After she created a few that were similar to mine, she requested clay and just pulled and twisted it into little creations. During this time, V was enjoying the experience and sensation of squishing the clay between her finger. Once she saw E creating little figurines, she wanted to twist and flatten clay too.

Once they were satisfied and handed me their pieces, I placed them to the side to dry for a few days. They created puddlers and some of their figurines look like they could be incense holders.

While we could have painted them, I thought it would be nice to just gift them as is.

Using aluminum foil, I lined the well of the puddlers to help protect and hold the sand, salt, and water. I’ll seal the puddlers, with this Mod Podge. I was going to use the outdoor Mod Podge but decided to go with the dishwasher-safe version since I plan on bringing the puddler in and I think the dishwasher-safe will be best. I’ll paint, at a minimum, five layers over the course of a few days, to help protect them against the elements–even though it will only be out when the weather permits during the day. I’m one layer in and it will take a month or so to cure.

 

Are you hoping for some hand-made items from your children for Mother’s Day?

Disclosure: French Family Montessori uses affiliated links through Amazon. There is no additional cost to you, but provides a small compensation that helps support this site.  I only share products that we use, have used, or are on our wish list. There is no obligation to purchase an item through an affiliated link.  

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