Lewis & Clark study w Art project

What a fun way to process what we have learned about Lewis & Clark's expedition across the country! We bought the Lewis & Clark dvd from the Louisville Science Center - it was made by National Geographic- & played the movie in the background while we worked on this easy project.

Using "Sculpey" clay - which hardens only after baking - we shaped the characters of Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea & the newborn (John Baptist') she gave birth to on the trail!

We recycled an empty box to use for our diarama. After we shaped the characters, canoes, trees, axes, bow & arrows (or anything else the boys wanted to make to go along with the theme) we baked the clay in the oven according to the Sculpey directions. While baking, we laid out newspaper & prepared the box.

We drew the lines of our river with a pencil and used an old paintbrush to "paint" glue on either side of the river. The boys gathered bits of dirt, mulch, & small sticks to make the land & we scattered it across the glue.

It was time to take the pieces out of the oven (doesn't take long) & while the clay cooled, we painted on the river, sky, & clouds.

The boys took their time painting each piece. They are so proud of the finished product & have been playing with it ever since.