Thursday, May 8, 2014

Clay Gnomes by 3rd Grade

Admit it. Gnomes are funny. Even the spelling of the word gnome makes me laugh for some reason. Maybe I'm just a nerd. I'm cool with that. The clay project this year for third grade was making garden gnomes. They turned out wonderful and my students had a great time making them. 

 The basic shape of the gnome was achieved by wrapping a slab of clay around a yarn cone. Additional details were made with both additive and subtractive sculpture techniques. Students added items with personal meaning instead of traditional tools that gnomes often hold. The nerd in me particularly appreciates the Gandolf gnome (the grey one with a staff). 

 Download my lesson plan!

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4 comments:

  1. Mr. EMay 8, 2014 at 12:53 PM

    SO GREAT!!!!! :) I've thought about doing a mushroom and gnome project, but didn't get to it this year.

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  2. ArtMuseMay 8, 2014 at 7:36 PM

    These are great, your third graders did a wonderful job!

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  3. UnknownJanuary 1, 2018 at 7:12 PM

    looks great! Just a question. Do you need to pull the cardboard cone out of the gnome before it dries, or did you just leave it in and let it get burn up during firing? Thank you

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  4. Zach StollerFebruary 19, 2018 at 10:45 AM

    Absolutely take the cones out. If you leave them in, the clay will crack as it dries and shrinks slightly. If they were to be left in during the firing process, I'd imagine it would make quite the mess...and smell. The cones can be reused, so that's a positive to taking them out as well.

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