2nd grade project: Make an adobe house?

[ajk912]

So my 2nd grader has a project due, and she had her choice of 3 Indian tribes to pick from to do the project on. I let her pick her favorite, and I didn't realize till AFTER we wrote her report that she now has to make an adobe house for the recreation part of the project. I googled it, but I don't have that clay and straw around to make a model of a Pueblo house. So I am thinking..I don't know, is there a homemade playdoh I can use that would harden and I can paint it brown to make it look like an adobe house?

In a pinch, I could really cheat and paint cardboard to recreate a Pueblo house, but I would rather not do that! I want her to get a semi-good grade! Any tips, has anyone ever done this project before?

 

[powellrj]

what about paper mache? You can use flour and water or liquid starch and use newspaper to form the shape?

 

[PlutoPony]

How about graham crackers?

 

[blackforest]

Sugar cubes?

 

[Loverly]

Polymer clay at Hobby Lobby (or micheal's ) is in lots of colors

I'd make a model out of wood in the basic shape-or styrofoam-can be rustic, then let your second grader roll out the clay and pat on the form & put cut up grass or tiny twigs that you get from your yard to be the straw

 

[owensamo]

I'd recommend Crayola Model Magic. It's soft like play-doh, but it hardens and they have it in earth-tone colors as well as bright colors. You can also use markers to color it (my daughter makes her own custom colors all the time this way). It sticks to itself, but doesn't make a crumbly mess all over everything like Play-Doh. And you don't need to bake it like most of the polymer clays (Sculpy or Fimo).

It's sticky enough that you could even mix straw into it or stick some in the surface so it looks like it's in there. It's really cool stuff! We usually take some smaller packs with us on trips for the airplane or the car - it keeps little hands busy for a long time!

Amanda

 

[dmslush]

I had to do this when I was about her age. I used a cardboard box to make the house out of. Then my mom helped me make a paste out of flower and water. We turned it brown by putting cocoa in it. It was cute. She had to help me put the box part of it together because we had to use straight pins in some places to hold it together. But it was an easy, non toxic project that most 2nd graders could do with minimal help. I just used my fingers to smear the paste on so that it was 'rough' looking like mud.

 

[pixeegrl]

LOL, you keep saying "I could do this or I could do that." Just don't forget it is her project. I would giver her some crayola model magic and let her go at it. It hardens nicely and it even comes in natural colors. We have bought o set that had 3 different browns and a flesh tone. Maybe let her cover a little milk carton with it and as a PP said push some dried grass or rafia into it to make it look more authentic.

 

[singlefan]

So my 2nd grader has a project due, and she had her choice of 3 Indian tribes to pick from to do the project on. I let her pick her favorite, and I didn't realize till AFTER we wrote her report that she now has to make an adobe house for the recreation part of the project. I googled it, but I don't have that clay and straw around to make a model of a Pueblo house. So I am thinking..I don't know, is there a homemade playdoh I can use that would harden and I can paint it brown to make it look like an adobe house?

In a pinch, I could really cheat and paint cardboard to recreate a Pueblo house, but I would rather not do that! I want her to get a semi-good grade! Any tips, has anyone ever done this project before?

Who's project is this anyway? As a mom who always made her kids do their own projects and reports with minimal "mom" help, I'd advise you to let her do the thing herself. You passed 2nd grade - now it's her turn!

 

[Starr W.]

Our 2nd grade project is an animal habitat in a shoe box. The native indian house we did last yr in 5th grade. Out of 4 classes, you could count on one hand the number of ones that a kid actual came within 20ft of during construction. They all looked like Martha Stewart did them, not a bunch of 5th graders.

We have chemistry trading cards for our 6th grader. DH made a template for him but he has to look up all the facts and type them out for 15 elements.

1st grader has to do a timeline of his 7 yrs. I did dig out pictures for him to pick from. His teacher sent the form home, he just has some writing to do and glue the pictures on. Plus practice his presentation.

 

[Loverly]

Who's project is this anyway? As a mom who always made her kids do their own projects and reports with minimal "mom" help, I'd advise you to let her do the thing herself. You passed 2nd grade - now it's her turn!

.
Awww....did you join the DIS just to post that?

Honestly, most teachers give kids projects too far advanced -esp the crafty ones

 

[DisneyKT]

Who's project is this anyway? As a mom who always made her kids do their own projects and reports with minimal "mom" help, I'd advise you to let her do the thing herself. You passed 2nd grade - now it's her turn!

MEOW!!!!




To OP another vote for Model Magic it works great....

 

[declansdad]

I hope you get a good mark.

 

[singlefan]

No, in fact I am a teacher (grade 6) who gets quite annoyed with parents who think that their kids' projects have to be magnificent works of art. Trust me, if I could I would keep all "projects" as in-school assignments, but with all we have to cover in the short amount of time that we have, it just isn't always possible. But I would much rather have a not-so-neat adobe house that the student enjoyed designing and building than an architectural wonder that Mr. and/or Mrs. Jones slaved over with very little input from their own child.

And in answer to another question posted about me, no I did not join just to post that. We are planning a trip to WDW next summer for our 25th wedding anniversary, and a friend at school suggested I look for help here. The thread title caught my eye, and I answered it. I stand by my response.

 

[design_mom]

I agree that you should choose something that she can do (most of) herself. My DS is in 2nd grade, too, and sometimes it is *so* hard not to take over the projects, but part of the learning experience is doing it yourself. My son just had a project where they had to "campaign" for an election in class. You could tell that a *lot* of the campaign materials were produced by the parents. My son did all his own. I gave advice, made sure he had the materials that he needed and demonstrated technique (on something that never left home), and sat with him while he did it, but he did his work himself. His didn't look as "slick" as a lot of the other kids' stuff, but his teacher actually commended me for letting him do his own work. She said she can "always tell" when the parents do most of it.

If we had the assignment, I think I would suggest paper mache, brown paint, and if the straw is a really important element, maybe you could chop some up really fine, then paint a thin coat of school glue (dries clear) over the paper mache and sprinkle the straw on. I think my 2nd grade DS could probably handle most of the work on that. I would probably cut the strips for the paper mache (I'm sure he could do that himself, but it would take him for-ev-er) and chop up the straw.

 

[Ali]

MY son has the same kind of project and one week to do it for the whole social studeies grade and his fabulously anal grandpa created an historically accurate mud hut for the cherokees - we still have to dress the doll in authentic clothing, gather food they would have eaten, write about the games they played and be able to demonstrate how it was played. And then they have to decorate the bag it all gos to school in. We have to fill in a research guide on what resources we used and my son is freaking out because we didn't go to the library and only used online and family resources. How much of this can a 7 year old actually do on his own anyway!

I talked with the teacher about it and she said the project "came down from the grade level chair" and she has told her students that "Whatever comes into the classroom is going to be perfect" so I know she is on target with the rediculouness of all things project-wise but I still can't get over my perfectionism and need to make a pretty project.

sheesh!

 

[ajk912]

Thanks guys! The Crayola model magic sounds just what I am looking for! I do agree my 2nd grader should do most of it herself, but I do have to buy the materials..all I have around here right now are the basics (crayons, paper, etc, just needed to know what to buy)! Thanks again!

 

[seashoreCM]

If you think your kid's teacher is expecting too much, then go in and talk to the teacher. You could also go to a PTA meeting.

How does your kid want to do/attack the project? Depending on how much time he has he may have to cut corners, for example draw a picture of the food the family ate rather than gather actual samples, and for the doll make paper clothes colored or painted to look like buckskin.

OT: Meanwhile I don't buy furniture whose finish is a photograph of wood on thin paper in turn glued onto particle board.

 

[shelly3girls]

Thanks guys! The Crayola model magic sounds just what I am looking for! I do agree my 2nd grader should do most of it herself, but I do have to buy the materials..all I have around here right now are the basics (crayons, paper, etc, just needed to know what to buy)! Thanks again!

I don't know why this thread took the turn that it did. Was I the only one that read the original post and assumed the OP was looking for materials to supply for her child on short notice to do this project?

DD9 just finished an awesome project of a Lenni-Lenape village. She did almost all of the work herself and came up with all of the ideas. I handled the hot glue gun to avoid severe burns (which one of her classmates suffered from). I gave her a little direction in the material for the longhouse as her original plan was next to impossible. I see nothing wrong with parents giving a little guidance and like the above post mentions, someone needs to buy the materials. Why does everyone assume the worst?

 

[shelly3girls]

Sorry, forgot to mention that the Crayola clay is great. DD used it to make many of the things in her project. It dried quick. On day 2 she was able to paint it and a couple hours later glue it onto the partical board. It was also very easy to work into shapes. Be careful when joining pieces. DD had to glue a couple of pieces back together after they dried but nothing major.