Bendable Wire Sculptures

What you'll need

• Soft pastel-coated craft wire (18-20 gauge — bendable by little hands)
• Child-safe wire snips or old kitchen scissors
• A small block of air-dry clay or a wine cork for the base
• Round objects to bend wire around: a marker, a spool, a small jar
• Optional: pony beads to thread on the wire

How to make it

1. 1

   Give your child a length of wire about as long as their arm.

2. 2

   Show them how to bend the wire around a marker to make a perfect loop — that's a flower petal or a bubble.

3. 3

   Try wrapping wire around a jar for a bigger circle, or folding it in half and twisting for a stem.

4. 4

   Talk about what they'd like to make: a flower with 3 petals, a heart, a person with a round head.

5. 5

   Thread on a few beads for color, then twist the wire to trap them in place.

6. 6

   Push the bottom end of the sculpture firmly into a ball of air-dry clay or a cork so it stands.

7. 7

   Let the clay dry overnight. Now it's a real sculpture to display.