PBL: ClayTales — Day 1
Date: 10th October 2022; Monday.
Facilitators: Auindrilla, Sonai, Sanmoyee, Drishti, Priyanka, and Nikita.
Participants: Divit, Meher, Nitara, Parth, Rishit, Ruhani, Shannaya, Sharlav, Shivansh, Shivanshika, Shivanyaa, and Yuvaan (Mehra).
Tags: art, sensory, claytales, pbl
Welcome back to Arth Hours!
Our Arthlings have returned from their Pujo break. Before they left for the holidays, they were introduced to Ma Durga and the story of Durga Puja! The art of sculpting and idol-making is integral to this festival. Our new project found its roots in this local tradition!
Clay is a material that can be used functionally, to make pottery and building materials, or creatively, for sculpture or idolmaking. It can be shaped through a variety of techniques, like flattening, rolling, stamping, marking and moulding. Our children already use playdough in many of the same ways! However, they are now at a stage in their lives when they use art materials for more than just sensory play. They make complex forms and objects, and use them to tell their own stories! Our latest project aims to realize the creative potential of our children, by giving them the materials and techniques to express themselves in 3D space. Clay has an added advantage: permanence! Our children will make their ‘ClayTales’ over time, to create a meaningful finished product that they can take home.
PLANNING AND SETUP
The activity was divided into the following steps:
1. Actions with Clay: Flashcards depicting various actions with clay, and the corresponding action words, were printed for the class.
2. Exploring Dry Clay: Large chunks of dry clay were kept ready for use. Trays were prepared with hammers and smashers for exploration. Cloth was cut from jute sacks to provide a surface for the clay.
3. Adding Water: Small spray bottles were filled with tap water for use. Aprons were provided as necessary.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Actions with Clay: Sonai Didi explained that they would be working with a new material — clay! She explained that it was also called ‘mitti’, and that it could be used to make many things! The children accompanied the instructors in some hand exercises to prepare for their sensory exploration!
Sanmoyee Didi then pointed out some pictures stuck around the room, which showed different ways to work with clay! The children joined in a song to practise these action words:
Pull and push, pull and push,
Open the door — pull pull pull!
Pull and push, pull and push,
Close the door — push push push!
Hammer and smash, hammer and smash,
Hammer very hard — bang bang bang!
Hammer and smash, hammer and smash,
Smash the potato — smash smash smash!
Pinch and poke, pinch and poke,
Pinch your cheeks — pinch pinch pinch!
Pinch and poke, pinch and poke,
Poke your tummy — poke poke poke!
Roll and twist, roll and twist,
Roll the chapati — roll roll roll!
Roll and twist, roll and twist,
Twist the samosa — twist twist twist!
The children tried some of the actions on each other — by poking their friends’ tummies!
Exploring Dry Clay: Once the Arthlings were ready, they sat down in groups to experiment with dry clay! The children were invited to use hammers, smashers, and their bare hands to explore. Some of the children were reluctant to use their hands, but others went ahead and got their fingers dirty!
Shivanyaa said that the dry clay felt cold to touch. She and her teammates used their hammers to break large chunks of clay into tiny pieces. After they were done, they went back for more chunks. Sonai Didi invited Divit, Nitara, Shivanshika and Yuvaan (Mehra) to divide two large chunks of clay into four pieces, so they could share. Divit got a chunk of clay which he hammered into a heart shape! Inspired by this, Yuvaan (Mehra) used his hammering skills to sculpt a heart too!
The tools were also the subject of much investigation! Rishit found that his hammer had a pattern on the end. When he used it, it made the imprint of two circles on the clay! Divit chose the hammer over the smasher because he enjoyed the ‘thak thak’ noise it made. Shivanyaa found that the smasher was hard to use with a hammer grip. When that didn’t work, she learned a different grip which she could use instead!
Shivanshika grips her hammer!
Shivanshika and her hammered clay.
Shivanshika gets back into action!
A smasher with some smashed clay.
Adding Water: When most of the clay had been hammered to pieces, the children were offered spray bottles to add water! The spray bottle mechanism presented a challenge for small hands… But many Arthlings got around this by unscrewing the cap to empty the whole bottle! The children observed the transition the clay went through — from dry and powdery, to wet and muddy!
The wet clay opened up new avenues of exploration! Nitara and Yuvaan made holes in their clay by poking in it. Shannaya found that she could pull and push her clay. Parth was intrigued by a noodle that Drishti Didi made! He learned how to make a noodle, and also how to twist it!
Shivanyaa adds water!
Shivanyaa uses her hands on the wet clay.
The wet clay sticks to Shivanyaa’s hands!
The children attempt to spray the clay.
Shannaya waits with her spray bottle.
The children work with wet clay.
Rishit with his spray bottle and clay.
Dry clay with water makes… Wet clay!
SKILLS USED
Fine motor skills
Creativity
Hand-eye coordination
Curiosity and exploration
Co-operation
Divit has a large block of clay!
Divit explores with his hands!
Divit adds water.
OUTCOME AND FUTURE
The main focus of ClayTales may be artistic expression, but this unit promises to facilitate learning across many domains! The advantage of PBL is that learning is not confined to a single subject; instead, the central subject directs the children’s interest to different areas. In the course of this unit, children will have the opportunity to develop their vocabulary, motor skills, spatial reasoning, critical thinking, creativity, and social skills!
In true PBL fashion, Part 1 of ClayTales introduced the children to a new material, encouraged them to use their powers of observation, engaged their curiosity, and stimulated their imaginations! Join us next time for Part 2 of ClayTales!