Landforms
The second grade did a unit on landscapes, including biomes and landforms. At the end of the unit, they read Most of the Better Things of the Natural World, (Eggers/Chang 2019). We all learned new words (like archipelago, isthmus, and taiga) while having fun finding the mouse hidden on each page.
We headed outside with our air-dry clay, and lots of freshly picked rosemary and lavender to create landforms.
Materials needed for Part One:
Air Dry Clay
Cardboard (to sculpt on)
Rosemary and Lavender or other plant materials. We used the herbs because they are calming. The kids get really quiet while they work!
Materials needed for Part Two:
Paint - Tempera is ideal for young children painting clay. It washes out of clothes, is non-toxic, and is easy to clean up. We used tempera cakes. You can also make your own paints from plants with the kids.
Brushes
Cups of water
(Teacher talk: This project meets NGSS DCI for second grade as well as statewide VAPA outcomes. Additionally, the brilliant Ms. Babin used the project as an assessment opportunity. Could the kids name and describe their landform? Did they understand the concept? Art can be a fun way to assess student learning - even more fun than a quiz!)
Part 1: (above) Sculpt the land forms from a ball of clay. Add herbs to create foliage and texture. Allow the clay to dry for a week.
Part 2: (below) Paint the landforms. Have a sculpture walk! Everyone can share their project.
