Time to Build!

Now that our students have tackled painting, we thought we’d move on to sculpture. It is strange that preschools students are such natural builders (they’re always playing with blocks, clay, etc.) but I see far more 2D art lesson plans for students of this age in books and online.  

This time, our inspiration came from Nam June Paik’s sculpture High Tech Child. This sculpture is currently on view at the museum and has become a favorite with school tours. We thought the preschool students would respond well to the materials and the fun ‘robot’ quality of the sculpture.

Nam June Paik, High Tech Child, 1987. Collection of Akron Art Museum

The challenge in presenting this lesson off-site was how to convey that this artwork is 3D, as we can only bring images of the work into preschool classrooms. So, in addition to the large scale photo of the sculpture, we also brought some photos of the sculpture as it is installed in the gallery. This way, students were able to see where the sculpture ‘lives’ in real life and could get an idea of the scale of the work.

Nam June Paik, High Tech Child, 1987. As installed at the Akron Art Museum. Photo by Andrew McAllister

We showed the students the reproduction and installation photos and asked some simple questions about the piece. What is it made of? How big is it?, etc. We really focused on the idea that this artwork is not like a painting or photograph. We explained that this is an artwork that can be seen from more than one side. The students seemed to understand the concept, especially when we flipped the photos over to reveal a blank side. We said: “The picture disappears when you try to see it from the back. In real life, you can see this artwork from all sides. A sculpture is a work of art that is 3D!”

The students were eager to try sculpture for themselves. First, though, we had to practice. We adapted an activity we’ve used at the museum when talking about Paik’s High Tech Child. We gave each student a bag of laminated images of electronics. They were to use these images to make their own robot. The students really seemed to enjoy this and created such imaginative collages.

A robot taking shape

That reel to reel was a popular choice for a face

This one is very tall!

That telephone works well for a mouth

After practicing with the 2D images, we moved on to the real thing. Because constructing can be difficult with preschoolers, we had to be creative when choosing materials. We decided on cornstarch packing peanuts (we used the Magic Nuudles brand from our local craft store but you can find white ones in bulk online). We told the students it was time for them to make a sculpture of their own. We left the subject matter open, asking students to make whatever they’d like.

We gave each student a base of card stock and showed them how to bounce the cornstarch peanuts on a wet sponge and then simply stick them together. The water melts the cornstarch just enough so that it will stick to paper or another peanut. This technique is simple, clean and requires no glue! 

Sharing materials is always a good lesson, too

The students took off with the idea and created sculptures of all shapes and sizes. Some students really embraced the idea of building something large and 3D, while others simply wanted to fill the card stock with peanuts. Regardless, the work turned out great and they learned a lot in the process. 

The peanuts hold up well to students' creativity

Many students chose to make animals (even dinosaurs!)

Have you ever used these cornstarch peanuts? Do you have any other tips on teaching sculpture to young students?