Craft Ideas For Kids - Teasel Hedgehog

Last year, my son went to forest school camp, where they experimented with lots of nature-inspired crafts. My favourite was his super cute teasel hedgehog made using clay.
I have been looking out for teasels on my walks ever since. Recently, I came across them everywhere and thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to try making my own teasel hedgehog.
It's a great autumn nature project; perfect for an after school crafting session.

You will need - air drying clay, scissors and some picked teasels. Click on the links to order some versatile Das air-drying clay and wooden tools.

1 - Cut the green rosette from your teasel; it's easiest using secateurs. 

 2 - Roll a small piece of air-drying clay into a ball; then, using a rolling pin or bottle, flatten down. It should be slightly bigger than your teasel brush.

 3 - Place your teasel in the middle, fold the clay over the end that was attached to the stem; this is your hedgehog's face. Press down firmly so it sticks.

4 - Roll a small piece of clay into a small cone, cross hatch the end (you can use any pointy object) as well as the middle of your hedgehog face, dab with water.

5 - Stick the nose on to your hedgehog's face.

 6 - Start to shape your hedgehog's nose, add a bit more clay if your cone was too small - using small amounts of water helps. I also find looking at a photo of a hedgehog really useful during this stage. It's a great way to introduce observation skills to your kids. Ask them to describe the shape before modelling.

6 - Gently curve your little hedgehog's nose. 

7 - Pinch 4 small rolled balls of clay into little hedgehog feet. 

 7 - Turn your hedgehog upside down and cross hatch where the feet go, dab with water and attach the pinched feet.

 8 - Smooth down the feet and continue to shape until they are all the same size.

9 - Peel the raggedy clay outline gently from around the face and trim. This neatens your hedgehog's face.

10 - A trimmed face ready for some eyes.

11 - Using a sharp pencil or anything with a point, make 2 small holes for eyes above the nose.

12 - Your super cute hedgehog is finished.