2nd Grade Slab Monarchs

2nd graders paid homage to Oak Terrace's mascot, the Monarch Butterfly, in our clay unit for this year. We began by watching a video about the majestic and remarkable Monarch butterfly, which not only transforms from a caterpillar into a butterfly, becoming almost unrecognizable from its' original form, but migrates thousands of miles from the most northern reaches of North America to the warm climate of Mexico. We then discussed the aesthetic features of the butterfly, namely the symmetrical designs of its' wings. We also looked at other instances in which symmetry appears in nature: leaves, birds, star fish, even ourselves!

With the clear objective of designing a butterfly with symmetrical wings, the students set out to do just that.

The following week we turned our drawings into 3D clay sculptures. We began by flattening the clay into slabs using rolling pins. Next we traced the butterfly silhouette onto the slabs and cut away the excess clay, which was used to build the body and other details of the designs. We reviewed clay building techniques, such as coils, slabs and pinching, and reminded each other to "slip and score" all parts that we wanted to adhere to the butterfly. Slip is a clay glue made from clay and a lot of water. Scoring is another way of saying scratching, or cutting, the clay without breaking through to the other side. We score the clay to help create friction so the slip can better adhere to the clay pieces. Some parts of the designs were drawn into the clay using tools, while others were built on top of the butterfly form. 

Once fired in the kiln, the butterflies were ready to be glazed. A wide range of colors were offered. 

One more firing in the kiln to make the glazes come alive, and Voila!

To see all of the butterflies please visit the Student Galleries page of my website  https://sites.google.com/site/mrsrart/student-galleries