Chinese New Year Dragons.

Yay for Chinese New Year dragons! I have lots of favorite projects but anything with clay is my jam. I enjoy this one because of the culture reference I can make to my students and having them learn about other parts of the world. I start by reading them the book "My first Chinese New Year" a nice little book that goes over some key factors of the holiday. Then I show them pictures of Asian inspired dragons compared to European inspired dragons. We compare and discuss what we see. Then we build!

To start, I give my students slabs of clay. Then they roll them up into coils or as they described them noodles, snakes, or worms. I have them lay their coil over a paper tube, sometimes with paper towel between. It makes putting away actually easier.  Next they pinch along the spine to make spikes for the dragons back. Then they break off a piece from the end and I show them out to slip and score. Yes, I show 1st how to slip and score. I show them how to make small coils and attach them to their dragon. 

The head is another piece they can just push in with their fingers and use a pokie stick to design or add on with slip and scoring. I tell them that if they don't slip and score, pieces fall off and their dragon is broken. But if it happens, just the way clay life is. 

After drying and kiln firing, we paint! I use watercolor paints and I show them more pictures of Asian inspired dragons to get the idea of colors.