GRADE LEVEL: 3 - 8

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Focus:

This project is an interdisciplinary lesson combining the study of prehistoric animals and plants with three-dimensional design, using Sculpey clay.

The lesson can be modified to accommodate various grade levels, depending on the amount of materials provided and the preparation required of the students.

Background:

Fossil, in geology, is the term used to describe any direct evidence of an organism more than 10,000 years old. A fossil may consist of the original structure, such as a bone, in which the porous parts have been filled with minerals, such as calcium carbonate or silica, deposited from groundwater; this process protects the bone from penetration by air and makes it stone-like. A fossil may also be an original substance, such as wood, that has been replaced, a molecule at a time, by mineral matter. Natural molds and casts that form when the hard parts of organisms are dissolved by groundwater are also fossils; the resultant cavities, being natural molds, are later filled by hardened sediment and form replicas, or casts, of the original. Other types of fossils include imprints, such as tracks and footprints; unaltered remains preserved in frozen soil, asphalt lakes, and peat bogs; insects trapped in the resin of an ancient conifer and hardened into what is now called amber; and fossilized excrement, known as coprolites, often containing fish scales and other hard parts of animals that were devoured.

Paleontology is the study of fossils of animal and plant life that existed in remote geological times. The study of these remains enables scientists to trace the history of extinct as well as contemporary organisms.

The true nature of fossils was not generally understood until approximately the beginning of the 19th century, when the basic principles of modern geology were established. From about the year 1500, scholars engaged in a bitter controversy over the origin of fossils. One group held the modern view that fossils are the remains of prehistoric plants and animals. Another opposed this group, which declared that fossils were freaks of nature.

Instructions:

SUPPLY LIST:

• Sculpey - about 2 - 4 oz. per student
• Assorted simple tools o Light weight white paper (e.g. copy paper)
• Rolling pins or brayers
• Extra soft graphite pencils
• Scissors
• Sandpaper - fine grit
• Waterbase acrylic paints
• Brushes

1. Have students do research on fossils and prehistoric animals, either from sources at the school, or from their local library. If the project is done with younger students, the teacher could bring in some actual pictures or photocopies of pictures for reference, using children's encyclopedias, history books, etc.
2. Give class a choice of a finished object that would be decorative or useful, such as a small picture frame, a key chain, jewelry, a paper weight, or any other item they might choose that would be possible for them to make from Sculpey.
3. After the students have selected a subject to use for the project, have them do a simple line drawing of it on lightweight, white paper such as copy paper or typing paper. Older students can include additional texture and detail. This drawing should be done in black, extra soft graphite pencil. Remember that the drawing will be in reverse when the project is completed, so that if the design contains any letters or numbers, they must be backwards on the original. This can be simply done by turning the completed design over on a window or light table and tracing it on the reverse side so that it is backwards. The completed design should be done in the exact size needed to fit the object to be made from the Sculpey. Make in multiples, if several are going to be used, (e.g. - for a border around a picture frame).
4. Next, make a pattern outline for the actual project (i.e., a pendant or picture frame) in the exact size. Cut out pattern shape.
5. Prepare the Sculpey for use by having students condition it by kneading it in their hands for a few seconds. (Too much kneading can cause air bubbles). Form into a ball for a circular or square shape, or a brick for a rectangular or oval shape. Place clay onto non-absorbent paper (copy paper or waxed paper). Roll it out to even l/4" - l/2" thickness with rolling pin or brayer
6. Arrange pattern piece(s) on rolled clay. Using a toothpick, skewer or plastic knife, trace around outside of pattern. Trim away scrap and smooth edges with tool.
7. Place drawing face down on clay. Roll over paper lightly with brayer or rolling pin - just enough to transfer design to clay. Peel paper off carefully.
8. Using toothpicks, skewers, Popsicle sticks or actual clay modeling tools, press in the design along the lines. Scoop out some areas and/or add clay to heighten other areas to make the design more visible. Roughen surfaces where pieces are to be added on in order to have them adhere better.
9. Bake at 275°F. for l5 minutes per l/4" of thickness. (e.g. - if it is l/2" thick, bake for 30 minutes). Allow pieces to cool thoroughly before removing from baking sheet. Use sandpaper to clean up any rough edges or imperfections.
10. Paint clay surface a light color. (It can also be left unpainted). Use water based liquid acrylic paint. Let first coat dry thoroughly. Choose a darker color, slightly thinned with water, and brush it lightly into the low areas of the design. Wipe off any excess paint from the surface and let dry.