Claymation Videos

3rd-6th Graders recently completed claymation videos over a two day span as part of an activity time offered during after school programs. On day 1 students created their creatures and props out of a non-drying oil based clay. It doesn't dry out so you have the opportunity to reuse it! On day 2 students created their videos, I set high expectations and had them aim to get at least 60 photos taken, more if they could. If you have about an hours time, they need to take a little more than one photo per minute. I would recommend not dragging the photo taking into two class periods. File management once uploaded onto your computer is time consuming and complicating enough.

I'm currently completing a Stop-Motion Animation project with 4th and 5th grade students in my classroom and plan on posting step by step info describing the editing stage of all this. It's truly not all that complicated but I did go through some trial and error that you all could avoid when trying it yourselves. 

Teaching this animation technique was challenging and provided a steep learning curve. I got a handle on common student mistakes after teaching it during after school programs and the recent videos we have completed in the 4th and 5th grade classes have a much higher quality! I'm so excited to share them soon. Until then, I hope you enjoy our first attempt!