Plasticine Biographies

Biographies are a great way to familiarize children with historical and current figures which have made changes in the way we live, think or interact with each other.  Their journeys are often ones that inspire kids to take their own steps to share their ideas in a greater context.

We have been loving the biography series from The Innovation Press.  They present the character’s life in an interesting way and then provide all sorts of details in the appendixes!  My kids like to pour over the details.  I like that they have introduced my kids to a diverse set of  female scientists! 

Materials

• Plasticine
• Old CD cases
• Clay tools
• Printable unique

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

1) Gather your info.

• Read a book about the person that you want to profile for your biography.  We really liked the book, “The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Patricia Bath” which is part of a series on scientists.

Here is where you can purchase the book:

Canadians

•  Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Doctor-Eye-Eyes-Story-Patricia/dp/1943147310/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516080288&sr=8-1&keywords=patricia+bath

• Chapters/Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-doctor-with-an-eye/9781943147311-item.html

Americans:

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Eye-Eyes-Patricia-Scientists/dp/1943147310/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516082501&sr=8-1&keywords=patricia+bath

*Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the book for review as I love so many books from: http://www.theinnovationpress.com/.  This is not a sponsored post and nor do we use affiliate links.*

2) Create your person with plasticine

• Don your smock.  Plasticine can be a bit greasy, so it is good to protect your clothing with this project and use a tray or clay board while working.

• For some children, sketching out an idea prior to starting is helpful planning for them.

• We decided to make the portrait base in a C.D. case, but you could use an old playing card container, the bottom of a stationary box or even a thick piece of paper (often the ones that are inside of products are coated which is even better!).

• First create your background for the portrait.

• Then create your person.  We found that we started with the shapes of the head and body and then added on the details. It is good to arrange the pieces before sticking them together so that you can manipulate and alter their position until they look as you intended!  We used the cover of the book as a model, but dive into your imagination!

• For details you can add items such as small beads and be sure to use your tools to create texture.  You can purchase clay tools (In teaching I found that the wood version tended to last longer than the plastic) or use items that you have in your home- for instance a pair of old scissors, a fork or a butter knife.  (We would recommend just reserving these for art and craft projects, rather than using them with food again.).  Don’t have a specific colour?  This is a perfect time to learn about colour mixing or changing the tint of a colour of plasticine by adding white to make it lighter or black to make it darker.

• Once you are done, close your C.D. case as this will provide a protective layer when you display your biography.

3) Description 

• Print out the provided template and write out a short description about  your chosen person.  Think about their early life and what or who may have influenced them, the challenges that may have occurred during their journey and what they did to meet those obstacles.  Inform the reader how their research, innovations or ideas have shaped our everyday lives or have moved us in a new direction.

• I would suggest printing out the template twice, so you can write a rough copy and then edit it together with your teacher or parent/guardian to write a good copy for display.

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Purpose

• Learning about significant figures and their contributions to their fields.
• Working with various materials to create.
• Learning about different types of writing.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and adult supervision.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.
• Check products to assure that they are non-toxic, use them in the way that they were intended and keep them out of the reach of small children as advised on their packaging.