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You are here: Home / Create / Art Projects / Clay Sea Turtle Art Activity for Kids

March 23, 2016 By Chelsey

Clay Sea Turtle Art Activity for Kids

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Using clay to create our sea turtle sculptures was such a fun way to combine art and science! After learning all about sea turtles, we used our our newly discovered facts to create our own sea turtle clay models. We focused on patterns and designs we saw in the flippers, shell, and head of the sea turtles. (This post contains affiliate links.)

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Ocean Art Activity for Kids: Make sea turtles using clay! ~ BuggyandBuddy.com

 

In my kindergarten after-school class we’ve been learning all about the ocean, including ocean animals. This past week we focused on sea turtles!

 

We read some books about sea turtles (including I’ll Follow the Moon, National Geographic Sea Turtles, and Sea Turtles by Gail Gibbons) and learned all kinds of interesting facts about them. As we were reading books about sea turtles, we noticed the shape of their different body parts, as well as the various designs and patterns on their body. We discussed how these body parts help the sea turtle to survive in the ocean.

 

*This activity meets Next Generation Science Standard Kindergarten: NGSS K-ESS3-1.

 

Making Sea Turtles Using Clay- Inspired by I'll Follow the Moon

 

After discussing our findings, we got busy making our own clay sea turtles. The kids loved working with clay and were so proud of their finished sea turtle sculptures!

 

Ocean Animal Art Project for Kids: Make Sea Turtles Using Clay ~ BuggyandBuddy.com

Clay Sea Turtle Art for Kids

 

Materials for Clay Sea Turtle Art

  • Air-Dry Clay
  • Old newspaper
  • Toothpicks
  • Straws

 

How to Make Clay Sea Turtle Sculptures

1. Place some newspaper down on your work surface.

 

2. Grab a large handful of clay.

 

3. Soften it a bit with your hands and form it into an oval-like ball.

 

using clay to make a sea turtle

 

4. Gently stretch the clay to form the head and flippers. (If you create your sculpture all in one piece, rather than attaching the flippers and a head separately, your sea turtle is less likely to fall apart once it dries.)

 

ocean activity for kids: use clay to create the sea turtle's body

 

5. Now use your fingers to shape your turtle, smoothing out the clay as you work.

 

6. Gently stretch out a little tail for your sea turtle and use some extra clay to make eyes.

 

clay turtle art project for kids

 

7. Once your happy with the shape of your sea turtle, it’s time to add the details. We used a toothpick to draw lines for the shell design and to make the sea turtle’s mouth.

 

use a toothpick to add details to your clay sea turtle

 

We took a straw and gently pressed the end of it so it was oval-shaped and used it to make designs in the flippers and head of the sea turtle.

 

use a straw to make designs in your clay sea turtle art project for kids

 

8. Once you’re done, set your sea turtle aside to dry. It will take about 2-4 days depending on the size of your finished sculpture.

 

Ocean Animal Art Project for Kids: Make Sea Turtles Using Clay

 

Here’s some of the finished sea turtle sculptures created by my kindergarteners!

 

Ocean Animal Activities for Kids: Make Clay Sea Turtles

how to make a clay sea turtle

3.3.3070

 

 

Filed Under: Art Projects, Elementary, Kindergarten, Ocean, Summer Tagged With: clay, ocean, sculptures, sea turtle

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Welcome to Buggy and Buddy! I'm Chelsey, a former teacher and parent living on the central coast of California. I love sharing crafts, science, STEM and STEAM activities, free printables and more! Read More…

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