Activity:
Clay Jewelry
Your child can create one-of-a-kind earrings and necklaces. Her imagination can really go, creating interesting designs for matched sets, or random unique creations. Not only can she make them for herself – but also as gifts for friends and family!
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What You Need:
- Self-hardening clay
- Rolling pin
- Large craft needle
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrushes
- Fishhook earring loops (can be purchased at any craft store)
- Needle-nose pliers
- Jewelry links
- Length of leather or string
- Beads
- Select objects to use as molds and impressions
What You Do:
- Encourage your child to sketch out ideas for her earrings and necklaces. She can design sets or individual pieces.
- Next she can decide on the shape for her earrings and necklace pendant. Use a household item for a mold, such as a small drinking glass for round objects or a plastic building block for a square shape to keep her pieces uniform. Set the objects for the molds aside.
- It’s time to get rolling! Have her roll out the self-hardening clay on a work surface until it's about ¼ inch thick.
- Now she can use her shape mold as a pattern to cut out her earrings and necklace.
- At this point she can draw her designs onto the clay using a sharpened pencil, or she can find things around the house with interesting texture to press into the clay – such as the tines of a comb or the outside of a shell.
- Once she’s finished with her design, she can use a large craft needle to create a hole at the top of each of her earrings and the necklace.
- Find a warm dry place to leave the clay pieces overnight.
- Now it’s time to paint! She can add lots of color using acrylic paints on the front and back of her earrings and necklace.
- Once they are dry, she'll use a needle-nose pliers to open and gently hook small jewelry rings and then earring hooks into her earrings, and then one into her necklace to thread with a piece of leather or length of beaded string.
