Sculpey Christmas Ornament - STEAM Lesson
Age Group Best Served: K-8
Child/Adult Ratio: 6 to 1
Take Away Artifact: No
Approximate time: 20 minutes
Divisions Covered: All
Materials:
White and desired colors of sculpey clay, rolling pin, ruler, parchment paper, a variety of Christmas shaped cookie cutters
Question to ask:
Why does sculpey clay become hard in the air fryer?
Skills Required for Completion of Task:
Motor skills
- Bilateral upper extremity coordination
- Ability to manipulate small objects
- Hand-eye coordination
- Ability to grip objects
- Ability to stabilize objects/task
Process/Cognitive skills
- Ability to attend to task for greater than 5 minutes
- Follow multi-step directions
- Ability to sequence steps
- Ability to understand safety precaution
- Ability to organize or keep materials organized for task
- Ability to adjust to different workspace requirements
Social skills
- Ability to communicate and share equipment with peers/staff appropriately
K-8 Standards:
3.PS1: Matter and Its Interactions 1) Describe the properties of solids, liquids, and gas and identify that matter is made up of particles too small to be seen. 2) Differentiate between changes caused by heating or cooling that can be reversed and that cannot
Simple Science:
Sculpey Clay is made of PVC (hard plastic) and plasticizers to keep it soft. The plasticizer is permanently removed by exposure to high heat.
This activity would be appropriate completed by the following disciplines:
Occupational Therapy, LCSW, Family Services
Instructions:
Preheat the air fryer to 275. Start with about 1 oz of white sculpey clay, add in bits of color as desired (for a mixed marbled effect), or leave white for decorating with paint or markers later. Roll out a pancake with ¼ inch thickness. Using the selected cookie cutter, cut out your ornament. Reroll sculpey again until all material has been used. Bake in the air fryer on the parchment paper for 10-15 minutes at 275 degrees.
Precaution: Will be hot coming out of the air fryer.
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