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Description

This activity allows YP to be introduced to using a knife also allowing them to be creative.

Resources

• Bar of soap
• Pencil
• Paper
• Scissors
• Plastic butter knife
• Scrapers and peelers: paper clip, lolly sticks, teaspoons, potato peelers, cocktail sticks, small twigs, butter knives and similar objects.
• Paintbrush

Instructions

You can introduce the activity with this video "How to Make a Soap Carving" on YouTube https://youtu.be/Y17RweezGi8.

1. Choose a bar of soap. Any soap will work, however, a larger bar is easier to hold and gives more material to work with. Place the bar of soap on a sheet of paper and trace its outline.

2. Decide on what subject to carve. A turtle or fish are frequent choices for a first carving, as they are similar to the shape of most bars of soap. You can also choose other subjects such as birds, hearts, boats -- anything that tickles your fancy. Within the outline on the paper, draw your design and cut it out.

3. Place the design on the bar of soap. Then, use a pencil to lightly carve the outline of your design into the soap.

4. Choose a knife to use. Soap is fairly soft, so a sharp knife is not absolutely necessary. Plastic knives, spoons, or popsicle sticks would also work. This is especially important to note if younger children are doing this project, to prevent any accidents from sharp knives. Use a plastic knife to remove large chunks of the soap and a paper clip to shave off smaller pieces. 5. Make sure to scrape away only small portions at a time, as it would be easier to remove than to put back an over scraped portion. Cutting off too much would cause the soap to break off into chunks.

5. When you finish shaping the sculpture, use a pencil to carve details.

6. When the carving is finished, brush away any soap dust with a paintbrush, wet your finger and rub the surface of the soap to create a smooth finish. Allow dry and harden for a day before using.

Tags

• carving
• paper clip
• soap

Badge Links

• Craft - Badge Completed
• Creative - Activity
• Creative - Craft
• Creative - Imagination
• Creative Arts - Demonstrate
• Creative Arts - Perform