Whilst we were making our DIY Clay Minibeasts I started to wonder if we could use DIY clay to create other animals. Perhaps we could make clay tiles to form a picture of an animal. Elmer the patchwork Elephant immediately sprang to mind. With Elmer Day on 28th May it seemed the perfect excuse to create a DIY Clay Elmer The Elephant.
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Resources needed to make a DIY Clay Elmer The Elephant:
* PVA glue
* Square lid – I used a Cumin lid
* Sharpie 28 Pack Fine Permanent Markers
How to make a DIY Clay Elmer The Elephant:
1. Mix together 1 cup of Cornflour
2. Sprinkle cornflour onto a work surface and roll the DIY Clay out flat.
3. Use a lid to create squares in the DIY Clay. We used a cumin lid as it was square. Place the clay squares onto a baking tray lined with Baking Paper
4. Create a few clay triangles for Elmer’s ears and trunk. Simply cut a square diagonally in half to form two triangles. You will need a minimum of 12 squares and 4 triangles. I also created a small ball of clay to use as Elmer’s eye.
5. Use scissors to cut away any excess clay from the edge of each square and triangle. Brush away the surplus cornflour dust and leave the clay to dry out overnight.
6. Colour in the DIY clay squares and triangles using a variety of different coloured permanent marker pens. Ensure that the edges are coloured in. Acrylic paint could be used instead of permanent marker pens. Add a circle to the small ball of clay to represent Elmer’s eye.
7. Coat the DIY Clay squares and triangles in Mod Podge Glue
Once our coloured DIY clay pieces had dried, we could use them to form our own Elmer the patchwork elephant. I quickly put the squares together to form an elephant and then took a photograph of the finished object. With my ipod to hand Adam copied the picture using the clay squares until he had created his own Elmer. He added a triangle for Elmers ear and the small ball of clay for its eye.
Adam then set about creating his own elephant without a picture to assist him. He did remarkably well. The clay squares are great for little fingers to move around. The Mod Podge Glue makes them smooth too and will ensure they last longer.
After creating several elephants Adam decided he wanted to create a giant Elmer. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough clay square tiles to make Elmer taller but we worked together to make him longer.
Not only are our DIY Clay tiles great for making an Elmer picture but Adam discovered he could also form capital letters with them.
Our DIY Clay tiles fit perfectly into an Elmer tote bag
We have teamed up with our favourite bloggers to share other Elmer The Elephant activities to celebrate Elmer Day.
Elmer Collage By Numbers // LarabeeUK
Elmer The Elephant Paper Plate Craft // Play & Learn Every Day
DIY Clay Elmer The Elephant // Adventures of Adam
Elmer Tissue Paper Painting // 3 Princesses and 1 Dude!
Pom Pom Elmer The Elephant // Adventures of Adam
Elmer Day Craft // Crafty Kids at Home
You May Also Like:
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- Elmer The Elephant and The Rainbow Fish Window Art
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- The Elephant Parade
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- Sheep Window Art
I love this idea! What a fun way to create Elmer’s patchwork yourself and come up with different patterns, so fun!
What a brilliant idea Emma! We haven’t had a go at making our own clay so we will have to give this a go.
This is genius! I love the tote and the busy bag idea 😉 thanks for hosting the bloghop x
I love this idea! Such a clever activity for Elmer the Elephant