Are you ready to get messy?
This week our Nature Study Series had us exploring natural clay!
To find our clay, we headed for the local creek.
The kids soon found the hard, grey rock-like lumps we were seeking.
While they were interested in the fact that they could break the “rocks,” they really were looking forward to building with the clay.
Once we brought our clay home, we got out trays and containers of water to help soften it up.
I let each of my scientists decided how they would work the clay.
After getting its surface wet, and finding how slippery the clay became, my son decided to wash off his hands and head to the sandbox.
My daughter on the other hand, really got into it!
She left her clay in the water, breaking it up and squishing it as it softened until it was pudding consistency.
She loved it!
She spent a good hour squishing the clay between her fingers, drawing pictures in it on the tray, and pouring it into different containers.
And, since we were outside, cleanup was a breeze!
Want to take it a step further?
We talked about the fact that clay is made of super fine particles, much smaller than potting soil or regular “dirt.”
Before getting the clay wet, have your scientists predict what will happen when water is added. Observe how the clay changes once it is wet. (Does it change color? Texture?)
Discuss how natural clay has been used in the past. Then use your clay to build something! We plan on letting ours dry out a bit and making a small pinch pot.
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Check out the rest of our posts in this summer’s Nature Study Series!
Having trouble finding natural creek clay?
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Emma says
June 11, 2015 at 6:05 amThat looks so cool! We don’t have any natural clay near us, so the best we can do is store-bought. I love that you let them explore the clay however they wanted 🙂
OneMommy says
June 15, 2015 at 4:19 pmMy daughter was in second Heaven! She kept saying it was “awesome.” 🙂
My son doesn’t like to get very messy, so I don’t push when he decides an activity isn’t for him. Definitely important to remember.
Nicola says
June 17, 2015 at 11:08 amIt sure looks like your kids enjoyed the hands on element of this activity! Thanks for linking to the Family Frugal Linky. I will be featuring this post in my roundup tomorrow at http://www.craftykidsathome.com.
Louise says
June 20, 2015 at 3:36 pmHow cool!! I wish I had gotten to play in the mud as a kid with my mum’s permission 🙂 It’s probably also super good from the standpoint of introducing good bacteria into the system – now they tell us to walk barefoot in the dirt more!
OneMommy says
June 30, 2015 at 7:08 pmIsn’t it funny? I always went barefoot as a kid, and I don’t remember washing my hands before eating after being outside. Then we do a complete reverse, and everyone uses hand sanitizer, and now they say to let kids walk barefoot in the dirt more! 😉