CLAY CITY Kits
CLAY CITY kits are meant to be a take home version of our CLAY CITY events. They’re open ended, child-led experiences that let you explore the tactical experience of clay while thinking about home and community.
We LOVE making cities out of clay. Building a CLAY CITY helps young people begin the process of understanding how they fit into their community and sparks a passion for placemaking. But, we understand the idea of building a city can be a little overwhelming, so here are some ideas to get you started:
Talk a walk around your neighborhood and notice what you see
Go to the library and find books about cities around the world
Watch a travel show with your family
Check out past Now. Make. Art. CLAY CITIES
Ask some of these questions:
What do you see in your neighborhood?
What kind of buildings do you see in your city?
Where is your favorite place to go?
What do you need to make your city run?
Is your city based on somewhere real or imaginary?
What's the name of your city?
Who lives in your city?
What kind of places help make your city better?
And, to be honest? The most important thing to us is that it’s YOUTH-LED. Young people have so few places in their lives where they’re in control of their experience and we want all NOW. MAKE. ART. experiences to provide that space.
We know it’s hard, but take a step back and see where your young person wants to take this adventure! Do they want to just feel the clay in their hands? Are they really interested in what happens when you put the props into the clay? Do they have something really specific they want to figure out how to make?
See the back of the insert in your kit to find more ideas of what you can make with clay!
We can’t lie- clay is fun. But beyond the joy and play it brings is some serious learning and development.
Strengthens hand and arm muscles
Playing with clay is hard work, especially for small hands. Manipulating the clay helps build muscles they may not use as often.
Challenges them to create a 3-D model of their idea
When young people are creating objects with clay, they’re using a design thinking process to go from idea to creation. Often what we visualize and what we create aren’t always the same, prompting children to problem solve and practice patience to get to their goal.
Connects and visualizes their impact on surroundings
Working with clay provides immediate feedback. For children that are still learning how they connect to the outside world, exploring with tools and their hands allows a concrete visual example of their impact.
Builds hand eye coordination
Because of the immediacy that clay provides, young people are able to practice utilizing their motor skills to form the clay based on visual information. This helps build proprioceptive awareness.
Explore their ideas and emotions
Clay therapy has been shown to help reduce anxiety in children. And through clay, they can explore both concrete and imaginative realities.