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Salt dough shapes the way for making art at home

Art teacher, Angela Merchan planned to start a clay unit after her students returned from Spring Break. Not to be dissuaded by the pandemic, she redesigned her lessons to fit a digital instruction format and…

Art teacher, Angela Merchan planned to start a clay unit after her students returned from Spring Break. Not to be dissuaded by the pandemic, she redesigned her lessons to fit a digital instruction format and made it a family affair. Pineview Elementary School students and their parents were encouraged to work together to create sculptures from clay they made themselves.    

Ever resourceful and adaptable, Merchan considered what her students would have access to while quarantined. Taking inspiration from teacher and media maven Cassie Stephens, a veritable goddess to most elementary visual art teachers, Merchan challenged her students to create salt dough.   

Salt dough is a combination of water, salt and flour which results in a soft “clay” that is non-toxic and will harden in the air without the need for a kiln. By measuring out specific quantities of these common ingredients, Pineview students were able to practice math and science skills while creating a medium for artistic expression.

Though the students had a great time making clay and sculpting fish, birds, and fruit, the parents seem to have enjoyed it just as much. Pineview parent Brandee Blake was an art major in college. Her daughter, Camille Blake is a kindergartener at the school. Together, they took to the lesson with gusto. 

Blake said “Camille had so much fun. She spent two hours in the kitchen, singing and bouncing around, just having a good time. I think this is helping release stress for the both of us and it is an activity we can do together. It is work, but fun work.” 

To compose their creations, students applied their knowledge of art elements like shape, form and texture. They added details using food coloring or paint to their air-dried sculptures. Second grader Evelyn Morales went above and beyond the lesson requirements and created a fish sculpture plated with individual scales that glitter in a two-dimensional background aquatic environment. 

Many of Merchan’s students were so engrossed in the lesson that she provided extension activities and additional online resources to keep the creativity flowing. One of the things Merchan has learned in moving to online instruction is “I have to get out of my comfort zone to connect with my students better and capture their interest.” 

She said, “in some cases that might mean making myself available for video calls, recording lessons to be shared on social media or even opening a TikTok account. These things don’t come naturally to me, but they are a great tool to reach our students, particularly now that we are teaching from a distance.”

Read the rest of the story by visiting the Tallahassee Democrat

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