Box of Faces

Fifth grade is working with plaster and O.M.G are they obsessed..  I had no idea that they would have the time of their lives applying plaster strips to a plastic face mold!  We had a great time talking about plaster throughout recent (and not so recent) history.  I told them about my art classes as a child, that we wouldn't use face molds, but actually our classmate's faces (obviously taking care to avoid the mouth and eyes).  We also got a big kick out of the photo below, a box full of plaster faces!  Where was this photo around Halloween?  Spooooky.

So I can confidently say that right now I'm pretty popular with the fifth graders for letting them get themselves (and my tables) dirty!  If you're wondering about classroom management during this organized chaos, I selected helpers from each class who assisted with cutting extra strips, refilling water bowls, providing paper towels, etc to their classmates.  They really enjoyed having a hand in helping set up and clean up, and it was also beneficial to me at the end of a busy day of teaching!  These helpers will get to make their masks during the next class as the others begin the painting process.