Welcome to metomi.com, your online source of creative activities for children! Join us as we spend some quality time creating with clay! Well...we don't typically use real clay around the house. What we often use instead are various modelling compounds that come in many colours, are easier to use and (somewhat!) less messy for children to work with, what we loosely call clay. Whether it's the joy of turning clay into big colourful blobs, flattened pancakes that make for the most wonderful pretend feast, or perhaps something like a pretty pot, clay is a great source of imaginative play! No matter what kind of "clay", smart children love this activity - perhaps it's the satisfying squish, the bright colours, or just simply because clay can be anything...which satisfies a child's gigantic imagination! Just go with the flow, release your creative spirit!

This idea is about just doing it! Start working with whatever modelling compound you have available. You can use Play Doh, you can add water to flour until it forms a pliable dough, try real clay from the craft store, basically whatever can be molded and smushed! We try to resist the urge to get our children to make "something" - and let them freely create whatever they choose. Colourful blobs, flattened pancakes, fingerprint imprints, animals, whatever comes to mind! Your smart child can decorate his or her creations with whatever craft trim is available and a touch of glue once the objects harden a bit. A one-eyed black and white and green blob creature has been gracing our dining room table for days ;).

In your neighbourhood craft store, you will find modelling compounds like FIMO and Sculpey. They're not really clay per se, but great modelling compounds for children. They come in many colours, and are a bit pricier, typically a few dollars per colour. Colours can be mixed together to form delightful swirls or kept separate. Your local craft store or dollar store may have complementary pieces like metal barrettes, pin backs, or pretty strings for necklaces. Make beads for necklaces and bracelets, and flatter colourful creations to glue to pin backs or barrettes! These compounds need to be baked in a conventional oven to harden well (instructions on the packaging), so make sure the grown-up does this role - it also makes sense to keep an eye on these pieces while they bake, so they don't burn. If you're looking for a special touch, try a glaze from the craft store to give the pieces a real shine!

We find that children (and adults!) are fascinated by pots, especially ones they make themselves! For budding potters - grown-ups included! - there is a wonderful aesthetic quality to a smooth, rounded pot. Don't be discouraged by looking at expert potters - your children don't need a pottery wheel to build a pot! Have your children try simpler forms - use a rolling pin to flatten a blob of clay, then form the pot by wrapping around another object, be it a cup, a toy or your knee! Keep smoothing the folds until the clay takes the form of the object, then leave to dry. Children also enjoy rolling clay into into long snakes, so encourage them to create several of these, join each "snake" into a circle, then place one on top of the other to create a cylinder. Add a circular piece on the bottom to finish the pot, then leave to dry...Have fun!

Most children love dinosaurs, so try an afternoon building some fierce or friendly Jurassic creatures! To get some great ideas for dinosaurs, drop by the local library for a book or two on dinosaurs. Play Doh is a good and inexpensive modelling compound for this idea, and great for colours (try the neon colours for that extra dinosaur glow!). Your bright children can start with smaller creatures by looking at the books for reference, or get more ambitious with larger creatures. We suggest embedding toothpicks, pipe cleaners or chopsticks to provide that additional support to larger dinosaurs. Children can complete the pretend play environment with cutout trees, grasses from any available kitchen or craft cardboard.

Think about creating and using smaller clay objects for pen or pencil "toppers" - friendly creatures that sit on top of your pen/pencil and add a bit of whimsy and fun to drawing or printing time! We suggest keeping it small and light as a heavy topper may become quite cumbersome. At the craft store, there are also some special modelling compounds that are made just for this activity - colourful, pliable, and can function as usable erasers once baked! But of course, your children don't need to buy this kit to have fun...don't forget the trim, feathers, googly eyes, pompoms, etc., to add that extra bit of novelty!