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Rose 3 Learning Experience Soap Sculpture

"Learning Experience" activities and suggestions that will empower and enable you as educators to support multicultural education using the principles laid out in the new ELYF Framework.

Please find below free valuable, insightful and practical ways that multiculturalism may be brought into your early years learning environment on a daily basis using the "Early Years Learning Framework" (EYLF). 

Each article includes:

• Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) Outcomes
• Key Learning Area Links
• Extension Ideas
• Equipment required
• Instructions
• Global Kids Oz Linked Resources

 All articles on this page have been kindly created and modified specifically for Global Kids Oz use by Rebecca Perkins of Rose 3 Learning Experience, all articles are subject to full copywright guidelines and may only be used within a classroom environment and not to be used for any other article content for any other reason, permission to copy or use this content for anything other than a EYLF setting must be approved in writing by Rebecca Perkins of Rose 3 Learning Experience. To access more learning experiences supporting the full ELYF program please contact Rebecca directly on 0402 284 581 or go to her website www.rose3.com.au

Objective:  For children to manipulate, create and construct through sculpture

Soap Dough:

Lux Flakes (Pure soap flakes available at any supermarket) Small amount of water.  1 cup of Lux Flakes makes about a fist size amount of soap dough.  Add small amount of water slowly and mix with hands.  Flakes will come together and initially feel a little too wet and gooey, but dough will become more workable as it is kneaded.  Food colouring can be added to the dough (great if children are going to use the soap later) or sculptures can be painted when dry. (be careful—sculptures can be brittle).  Beware of soap in eyes, soap may cause reaction, though unlikely as it is pure soap.

Instructions

Measure and mix soap sculpting material with children. Soap dough is best manipulated with fingers into shapes.  It does dry out but a little water on the    children’s finger tips will moisten mixture again. (Remember: easy on the water!)

Natural materials that can be used with soap dough: sticks, rocks, leaves and  bark (they make great prints!)  Sand and seeds (if you are planning not to reuse the dough),   Mini “worlds” and gardens can be created. Use collage materials: pipe cleaners, pop sticks, straws, confetti, coloured macaroni, match sticks.  Can be glued on finished pieces as well)

Early Years Learning Framework Outcomes

Outcome 1: Children 

• develop knowledge and self-confidence through new skill development, manipulating dough and utensils.
• interact with care, empathy and respect working together with shared materials.

Outcome 2: Children 

• become aware of fairness through sharing materials and  cultural diversity through traditional craft experience.

Outcome 3: Children develop 

• social and emotional wellbeing through creating and sense of achievement by working together.
• fine motor skills through manipulation of the dough.

Outcome 4: Children develop

• creativity, imagination, enthusiasm, confidence and  persistence through creating  with dough.
• a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, experimentation and investigation.
• learning through connecting people, natural and processed materials from their environment.

Outcome 5: Children 

• Interact verbally and non-verbally with others through discussion of creations.
• Express ideas and make meaning through manipulating and sculpting with dough and other materials

Key Learning Area Links

Pre-Numeracy (Mathematics  Problem solving: when sculpting and creating. Measurement: Cooking concepts: cup. Length concepts when manipulating the dough: long, short, fat, thin, high low.  Small amount of water.                                                               Number: How many cups of lux flakes did we use?

Literacy/Vocabulary (English)  Wide, narrow, long, short, place, on, smooth, layer, look, feel, sticky, hot, cold, squishy, round, roll, pinch, cut, push, knead, mix  Discuss feel of dough when playing and items created.

Health and Physical Education

Fine motor skills— manipulation of dough, pinching  rolling, sculpting. Hand Eye coordination placement of dough and collage/natural pieces..

Studies of Society and Environment Sculpture is historically a major part of many cultures.  Ancient Egypt, Roman Empire are renowned for the sculpture left behind.  Many cultures are identified by sculpture (Italy - Michelangelo's “David”).  In the Inuit culture (peoples of Northern Canada), soap sculpture/carving is an important traditional art form.       

The Arts  Medium— Soap dough. Techniques– manipulate and sculpt with hands and  other objects.  Collage in dough.  Paint. Working with texture, shape and form, sculpting. Colour mixing– knead colours into dough.

Extension/ Ideas. Use as a Colour mixing experience.  Make dough with no colour, then drop different primary colours into the mix and knead until it makes the secondary colour. (blue + yellow= green, red + yellow= orange, red + blue = purple) Research the Inuit people (some children will say “Eskimos” this is incorrect!) 

Global Kids Oz Linked Resources

Far North Tales—Stories from the Arctic

We are Sailing Down the Nile