Year 4 Plaster Tiles

Previously, the Year 4 cohort had been learning all about the city they live in: Birmingham and more specifically: Small Heath.

We discovered that Small Heath has huge deposits of clay in the ground, which was used to build a lot of the houses in the area. There is a long tradition of brick and tile making in the area, so we decided to create embossed tiles out of clay and plaster, using a cardboard (Tetra Pak) mould.

The children had a go of the skills they would need on a smaller scale, before we attempted a larger scale cast.

They had a half Tetra Pak and created a bed of clay to fit the bottom, before pressing in small objects, sticks and leaves to create negative spaces before mixing up and pouring Plaster of Paris.

After Lunch, they then peeled off the clay, discarding anything that was too dry or contaminated and carefully cleaned their tiles in a water bath, using a soft paint brush.

The end result look a bit like fossils, or even coral.