Happy Winter Solstice!
I thought I would pop in and share a fun Air Dry Clay Winter Tree Luminary Craft. A Clay Modeling Art lesson to celebrate winter with your kids. I saw this craft done on another blog, one of my favorite adult crafter blogs – A Beautiful Mess. So I thought “Hey I could teach this to kids!” In fact in my clay modeling curriculum there’s a similar 3D luminary candle modeling project I included.
I was able to do this simple winter tree luminary in a matter of minutes. I made my example small, but I would recommend making it larger for a standard tea light candle. Taller and wider would create better air flow. There’s many art elements taught in this lesson, such as 3 dimension, shape, fractions and degrees, plus classic clay modeling techniques.
Clay Materials
- White air dry clay (Any Air Dry Clay Can Work)
- Straw to poke holes with
- Rolling pin
- A butter knife to cut tree shape out of the clay
- Tea Light Candle
Craft Instructions
Step 1
Roll air dry clay out flat
Step 2
Cut out an elongated triangle. Draw out a circle and divide it into five parts. You can trim out two parts and use this as a tree template.
Step 3
Poke holes all over the triangle – so light can shine through the holes when a candle is lit under it, creating a luminary candle holder. I used a bamboo straw in my pictures. These holes can also represent ornaments on the tree.
Step 4
Create a pattern of holes all over the tree shape.
Step 5
Roll it out thinner one more time before you join the edges. I recommend making a few different sizes. I made mine too small for my tea light. I’m going to make larger ones for a set.
Join the clay edges
Step 6
Join the edges together by pinching clay with your fingers.
Step 7
Cut the top of the winter tree off so air can vental out.
Let dry over night.
I was too excited and used my blow dryer to speed up the drying process.
Let your children experiment with their own ideas.
You could also paint them when the clay is dry, and. even add glitter for some sparkle!
I got this kids craft idea from visiting one of my favorite craft blogs for adults. I hope you enjoy it. If you and your students try it out, please share!
Art teacher – Spramani Elaun
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