1st Grade Clay Dinosaur Sculptures

1st grade artists learned all about dinosaurs!   Each student chose a dinosaur to sculpt out of clay.  Here in these photos students are carefully adding texture and details to their dino sculptures.

We talked about how clay changes physically and chemically in the kiln.  When the dinosaurs came out of the kiln - they are no longer clay - they are ceramic, which is a chemical change.  Students added color with tempera paint and used their imaginations to create very colorful dinosaurs.

Last, we created a habitat for our dinosaurs.  We talked about all the basic things the dinosaurs needed to survive: air, water, food, shade, and warmth.  We drew all of those things onto our diorama, and added other non-essential details, like a volcano and some rocks.  Now the dinosaurs have a home!  This is one of my favorite art projects out of all of the things I create with all grade levels! It is also a favorite memory for many of my older students.  Enjoy!