Students will have the experience of making a ‘fossil’, in this sculpture project. To do this, a mold making process will be used. Using clay, each student will build a flat, irregularly shaped shallow rectangle and mark the bottom and side surfaces using a variety of items used in everyday life, such as pens, toy cars, plastic forks, bottle tops, etc. – the kinds of things which are discarded in our every day life, and which one day may appear in the fossil record. Plaster will be poured into the clay mold, left to harden, removed, and the positive plaster ‘fossil’ can then be painted. Teacher/student prep: Students are asked to bring in • Objects which they will use for making marks in the clay (artist will provide some objects) • Plastic bag to cover wet clay mold Day One/ 3 hours: Artist set-up; Students making the clay mold; Pouring the plaster into the molds; clean-up; 1 hour prep Day Three/ 3 hours: Painting the positive, clean-up; 1 hour prep
| Grade Suitability | 3-7 |
| Maximum Class Size | Groups of 8 at a time |
| Time Required | 45 minute session and 15 minute changeover per 8 students; 2 sessions on 2 separate days required |
| Material Required | Provided by artist: • Newspaper• Cardboard for holding clay mold• Plastic bags to cover wet molds• large plastic buckets for gathering used claySourced by artist and purchased by school:• Clay• Plaster • Plastic buckets for mixing plasterProvided by School:• Paint and brushes • Powder paint to colour plaster |
| Language of Instruction | English |
| Communities | All |