Art and design – making plaster of Paris seals
As part of their Connected Curriculum topic on the Indus Valley, Year 6 found out about many of the different artefacts discovered by archaeologists, which helped them to shape an understanding of this ancient civilization.
A particularly significant discovery was finding seals. These objects are small tablets made from soapstone, which historians believe were used to aid trading. It is thought that the Indus people used the seals to show who had made particular goods, a little like brand logos are used today.
The children looked at many examples of seals, and soon recognized that many of them had pictures of animals and god-like figures on them. They also had other symbols, which looked similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs; these are an example of the Indus script.
The children used this knowledge to design their own Indus seals. They began by sketching some designs with pencil. Next, they their favourite design and carved iy into a piece of plasticine, being sure to make the grooves deep enough for the plaster of Paris to set effectively.
Once they were happy with these imprinted designs, they put them into a paper cup, made plaster of Paris (by mixing sufficient powder with the correct quantity of water) and then they poured this into the cups. The mixture needed to set overnight.
The next day, the cup and plasticine were carefully peeled away to reveal the seal underneath. Many of the children had never worked with this medium before, so it was great to learn a series of new skills in art and design.
