Plasticine Education

The main purpose of these activities is to bring the child to observe his circle and learn to express in his way. Assertiveness, flourish and feel its existence, his power, his strength, by dominating the real, are needs for the child. In creating with the plasticine, he will repeat visually, concretely and practically his world consisting of body movement and speech.Thus he will develop manual skills.

Modelling plasticine will make known to the child the joy of giving birth to a form often unexpected by the only ability to knead, roll, and assemble without tools. "Direct contact with the material brings satisfaction to the child. The modeller gestures relax his fingers muscles and prepares to the most subtle and most advanced shapes and later to the writing skills".

To stimulate creativity in children, according to their imaginative capacities and their manual dexterity we will dispose glue, colour plasticine, strainer, cardboard, sticks, etc. Children will discover themselves according to their needs, how to use them. This will stimulate in them the spirit of research and discover their own potential environment. These experiences gained by the intervention of sensory memory and sensory visual will enrich them of new knowledge. The children will do collective works to know how to interact in groups and feel the need of other children and the interdependence of friends.

Before you ask a child to a create anything with plasticine, we will perform different manipulation with it. For example, make balls of different sizes, colours and textures. By the way the child can realize different shapes such as cubes, triangle, squares, etc. We will ask the child also to flatten it, to pinch it and stretch it, etc. Then the child can start to create according to his imagination, fantasy animals, little worlds, mythic creatures, caricatures and give them life.

Plasticine History

Plasticine was formulated by art teacher William Harbutt in England, in 1897. He wanted a non-drying clay for use by his sculpture students. After many experiment he found the exact composition. Plasticine is composed of calcium salts, petroleum jelly, and long-chain aliphatic acids. It is non-toxic, sterile, soft, malleable, and does not dry on exposure to air. It cannot be hardened by firing it, melts when exposed to heat.

The original Plasticine was grey but it was soon available in a wide variety of bright colours. Plasticine was popular with children, widely used in schools for teaching art, and found a wide variety of other uses.

The impact that this new material caused in the education system, esthetic and even film animation was such, that it has survived until our days and it remains with the same or even more strength than before.