A Prickly Endeavor

I came across some really cute little terra-cotta pots prior to camp starting last week.  And when I say little, I mean so little I can't even imagine what you would plant in something that small, however they were perfect for me to have students create sculpted cacti.

And as with all things, there was lots of chatting as everyone began working on the project.  

I had the kids start by creating a base out of tin foil and sticking it in the pot.  Once the students were happy with the height and skeletal structure of their work, they started pushing in the "dirt" (i.e. clay) around the bottom of the pot.

And the chatter continued as they started creating their cactus, covering their tin foil in the clay and sculpting out the details.

I was making a cactus alongside them to keep in the studio and I mentioned I was feeling a little grumpy and tired that morning- basically like a prickly cactus.

Which suddenly led to conversation of different cactus personalities

Which lead to student's cacti evolving into little characters.

It was a really fun period of time in the class as the students were all gathered around one table and laughed amongst each other as they developed their cacti.  Lots of sharing of what they were creating and positive support of each other's ideas.

All good things.

Some students admired the developing personalities of other student's cactus but chose to not do the same, staying on the original planned course I had introduced with the project, a traditional potted plant.  

I think both ideas came out really fun.

Once they had their sculpture complete, I handed them each a bit of wire and a pair of scissors.  They then spent some time cutting the wire and sticking it into their cactus.

Because what's a cactus without the spikes?

I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting them to be quite so prickly when I picked them up to bake.  The first one actually made me jump when I touched it.  It felt like the real thing!

Once hardened, the works were painted. 

At this point, some of the wires fell out which was disappointing for some of the kids.  

For the most part, all the spikes were stuck solid but I gave the students the option to dip the few wires that fell out back into the cactus with a little glue if it truly bothered them to lose some of the spikes.

Some students did this and some did not.

And then when the paint was dried, I gave each cactus a quick coat of glossy varnish to finish.

And here are the results.

First a couple of traditional cacti.

8 year old

10 year old

Here's a nice cactus.  She keeps her spikes down so you don't get pricked.  My understanding is she only raises up her spikes when she is angry.

7 year old

We have the champion fighter cactus!  Or as I like to think of him, Rocky Balboa.

11 year old

I believe this is Mr. Blob.  I hate when my memory fails and reminds me I'm getting old. (Sorry Ms. A if I got it wrong.  Send me a note and I'll correct the description!)

8 year old

Doesn't this one look like a cactus you don't want to mess with?  I'm guessing with the open mouth, this cactus is also a bit chatty.

11 year old

Then we had the cactus that might of partook in waaaaay too many doughnuts.  His belly is exploding out of his pot!

7 year old

And last but not least, the artistic cactus.

11 year old

I'm sure it is evident by the work shown above, but just in case you couldn't tell, the kids seemed had a whole lot of fun creating these sculptures from beginning to end.  They chatted and laughed the entire way through and had a good time admiring them all in the end.  Definitely a project I will put in my back pocket to use again one day.

One final note, the chess set camp for next week has been cancelled.  However there will be an all day camp running on Wednesday from 9-3pm.  Call 604-971-1147 to register.