When you are studying the Ten Commandments with your children, a fun art activity to make is a Ten Commandments clay craft. You will need the following items for this activity:
- 10 pound box of white self-hardening clay
- butcher knife (for cutting the clay in half)
- cutting board
- rolling pin
- table knife
- black acrylic paint
- toothpicks
- wax paper
First you will cut the block of white self-hardening clay into two pieces with a butcher knife. I like to put wax paper on top of the cutting board for easy clean-up. Unroll another two pieces of wax paper on the table. Place one hunk of clay in the center of each piece of wax paper. Roll it out with a rolling pin.
Yes, it is hard at first, but it gets easier. You (an adult) can get the rolling started by standing above it and using your weight to press down on the rolling pin. After it’s somewhat flat, it’s much easier to roll out, so kids can take over at this point. Roll the clay into large tablets that look like the Ten Commandments.
Now use a table knife to carve the Ten Commandments into the clay. Let it dry for about a week. Usually self-hardening clay dries in two days, but these Ten Commandments are so large and thick that they take longer to fully harden.
Now brush black paint on top of the tablets, trying not to get any paint in the grooves.
It’s no big deal if you get paint in the grooves of the words, because you can just use a toothpick to carve out the words again. This is easy to do, since you just follow the indentations that are already there. Now your Ten Commandments clay craft is complete.
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If you enjoyed this Ten Commandments clay craft, you will love Using Simple Costumes and Props to Teach the Bible. You receive this 2-hour video for free when you sign up for the Unit Study Treasure Vault, which has an enormous Bible section!
