Second Grade Lions

When I was in second grade, I made this ceramic lion. Granted, everyone's lions were pretty much the same. The only thing that differentiated them was the skill with which we cut out the pattern, drew the face, and painted the pieces. Why then, does my artistic second grader bring home this piece of junk?

My second grade lion hangs on a small wall in my kitchen. Unfortunately, this thing will only exist in photographic form right here. I know a woman who was cleaning out her attic, and upon finding an unknown object, innocently came down to ask her family, "Can somebody tell me, why we kept this piece of junk?" Her teenaged daughter replied, "Uhhh, because I made it?"

Art teachers, please listen. We want to keep their artwork, but we also want nice artwork to keep. I understand if the school can't fire ceramics for every child and this is the year to discover the third dimension, but don't send home a piece of foil, covered in something that looks like painted clay and no note. What were you thinking?

Polymer clay is awesome. We can cook it at home. The garland was totally my second grader's idea and execution. It hangs in the very narrow space between her bedroom door and her closet door, and adds the perfect splash of color. As you can see some of the loops broke. To fix that, next time, we will make half of the pieces loops and half of them "s" shapes. That way we can bake each piece individually and string them together afterwards.

Okay, I made the dog. But she made and decorated the base. I think second grade may be a bit early for sculpture.

There are a number of polymer clay artists on Etsy who sell really neat stuff you probably can't make with your kids yet. It gives you something to reach for though...

These last three photos (the reaching brooch, the funny charm bracelet, and the nativity scene) are actual things for sale. By clicking on them, you go directly to the different artists' shops. Enjoy!