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Arrange the tile pieces to design the mosaic. Make sure the tiles are laid out before the plaster is mixed. Combine the plaster and water to form a fairly thick paste. Pour the plaster into the dishes and allow to set briefly, making sure it doesn't harden completely. Press tile pieces into plaster. They should not go all the way to the bottom of the plaster. Allow to dry fully before removing from dishes.
Candlerolling:
Sheets of beeswax
Candlewicking (NOT thread or yarn)
Scissors to cut the candlewicking
This method of
candlemaking is quite simple
and portable. Beeswax usually needs to be in a square or
rectangle.
Cut the candlewicking so that it is just longer than the height
of
the candle. Lay the wicking along the inside edge (the edge from
which rolling will begin) so that it is even with the bottom (or just
slightly
higher), and has some excess at the top. Carefully begin rolling the
inside
edge. It may be necessary to start rolling the candles for younger
children;
once rolling is begun, it becomes much simpler. When rolling is
finished,
tie a ribbon around the candle to make sure it stays rolled.
Paper
Mosaics:
Construction paper cut into small squares
backing paper
scissors
glue sticks
This is similar to
the mosaic activity described above, except rather than plaster,
children use glue and paper. They can also (lightly!) draw their
design on the backing paper before putting the colored pieces on the
page. Make sure there is enough time for the glue to dry.
Pottery:
Salt dough (recipe follows)
any tools needed for shaping dough
bowls for mixing dough
unless there's access to a stove on site, containers of some sort in
which to take the finished items home; in this case, have baking
instructions for the dough available
Anything goes.
Children can make bowls, coil pots, pinch pots, or whatver their
imagination dictates.
Salt dough recipe:
4 cups white flour
1 cup salt
1.5 cups water
Mix, and then knead as you would bread dough for a
fair while, until it reaches the smooth and not sticky consistency of a
typical play dough.
Make your (ornaments, play food, cars, or
whatever!). Then carefully put on baking sheet, (no grease), and
bake @ 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how
thin or thick your art work is. Watch closely, remove if you see
signs of browning. Let cool.
Others:
Tangrams are great fun for children, and can be printed out onto stiff
paper and cut out. Tangrams.ca
is a great source for patterns and templates. Mancala
is another fun game, and a playing board can be made from an egg carton
(with twelve compartments), a bowl or other container on each end, and
beads, stones, or dried beans for playing pieces.
