If your fourth grader had to make a project by the end of the month on something like Niagara Falls, the Hawaiian Islads, Mt St Helen's or the like {some sort of land formation}, how would you help her or get her started? Take her to the store and buy a bunch of modeling clay and let her start playing? I am leaning toward letting her pick the formation, but I'm totally "anti-craft" because I'm the least artistic person alive and don't really know much about materials. Should I just buy a bunch and let her start experimenting? Any ideas or suggestions? Where would you start? Buying the craft supplies?
THANK YOU for the advice. I've never been and that is great news and advice. We will make a trip there this weekend. I so appreciate it.
She'll need to start with a hollow form or styrafoam. You want something light inside or else she won't be able to carry it. Or even try paper mache (sp?). Modeling clay is for the details on top, and for painting. Styrafoam is very absorbing, so you dont want to paint it directly.
Be creative. Instead of clay you could make and decorate a cake. You could use a jello mold. Paper mache. Paint. Poster board. And of course, there is always the old fashioned baking soda erupting volcano. (add a little dab of dish soap, baking soda and vinegar) There will probably be a lot of volcanos. But volcanos are awesome!! Has she chosen what she wants to make?
If it were me, I'd encourage my DD to do a cross-section of a convergent plate margin. These occur where one tectonic plate meets up and is subducted (pushed under) another plate. Volcanoes form at those locations i.e., Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker). It would end up looking something like this: http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/sage/geology/lesson2/images/concepts_fig11.gif It could easily be made out of a box covered with plasticine/modelling clay.
