Making Dust Bunnies with Clay

One thing kids love to do with clay is make hair…

Using a “hair raiser” to press balls of clay into long, curling clay locks is always a crowd pleaser. Kids often end up with a ball of clay that I can’t help but think resembles the dust bunnies in the entertaining picture book, Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas. If you’ve not seen the book, you should check out the fun rhythm of this rhymining delight. And then, try making a dust bunny yourself!

Materials

Clay (stoneware, terracotta or a non-hardening modeling clay will work)

Garlic press (hair raiser in “oogly” terms)

Marker top or pencil to add features to your dust bunny

Wire for the whiskers (optional)

1. Make a pinch pot any size you want. I started with a pot about the size of an orange.

2. Turn the pinch pot upside down.  Start making hair with the garlic press.

3. Apply the hair entirely around the base of the pinch pot.  Then do a second layer overlapping the hair you can already applied. 

4. Completely cover the pinch pot with hair and then add eyes using two small balls of clay. You can add dimensions to the eyes by adding circles with the end of a marker or making a hole in the middle of the eye and adding a smaller ball of clay for the pupil.

5. If your dust bunny is really going to be a bunny, you can add ears, big front teeth and even a tail. You can even use wire to add whiskers to your bunny’s nose.

Undoubtedly cuter than the dust bunnies under the bed!


We're sharing this blog on Today's Creative Blog for Crafty Tuesday - check out all their great projects.