Shoe Monsters

My Little Pre-Kers are so much fun!  This was a very texture-filled project which was great for this class!  For Black History Month we learned about Jan Ernst Matzeliger who invented the Shoe Lasting machine, which connected the upper part of the shoe to the sole, a painstaking process that was usually done by hand. This invention revolutionized the shoe making industry.  

•  We started by taking model magic and rolling it out.  Next I had each student lay their model magic on a piece of newspaper and place it on the floor.  The students pressed their foot into the clay.  THe aids and I helped make sure the kids were pressing their shoe hard enough and getting all of the edges.  THe bottom of shoes make great patterns/designs!  
• THe adults used a knife to cut off the extra clay
• I showed the kids how to make simple shapes out of the clay.. We rolled it into our hands to get balls, I showed them how to twist two colors together, and how to pull it to make it long and skinny for an arm or leg.  
• The Next class the kids glued their dried Monster Bodies to a Piece of rail road board.  This is thicker paper which supports the heaviness of the clay.  
• Today we decorate the Monsters.  Different supplies were placed at each set of desks and the students rotated.  We encouraged the kids to be as silly as possible.  

Look At the Happy Monsters they Created!!