2nd Grade Clay Owls

Last year, my 2nd grade students made clay turtles using pinch pots for the shell. A lot of the students struggled with attaching all of the legs! I had only a few students who really did a great job. I decided to try the turtles again this year, since the students had more experience in working in clay, after having made pinch pots last year in 1st grade. Unfortunately, they still struggled a lot! So, we ended up squishing the clay back into my big bag and starting something new the next week. I decided to try making owls with them, and we had lots of success! Here are some images of their work, as well as all of the steps to making an owl. 

Here are the steps to making the owl. Photos are taken by one of my most talented 4th grade students, who stayed after school to help me!

Start with a small lump of clay:

Roll it into a ball:

Roll it into an oval (like making a coil):

Smash it into a flat oval:

Fold the top down to make the head:

Pinch the corners of the head to make ears:

Pinch the edges of the body to make it wider:

Fold the wings in:

Use a marker to make the eyes:

Use a toothpick to make the beak and pupils (I don't let my students use needle tools until 3rd or 4th grade):

Use the toothpick to make feathers on his stomach: