Guatemalan Worry Doll Desk Decorators
Use ordinary wooden clothespins to create original versions of Guatemalan worry dolls. These minipeople hold important papers or perch on pencil cups to add color to your desktop!
1. Research people’s lives and livelihoods in Guatemala. Locate the country on a world map. Compare and contrast how life in Guatemala is alike/different from where you live. Gather pictures or examples of tiny worry dolls. Children are usually the ones who create these worry dolls, using tiny scraps left from beautiful cloth weavings that are classic art forms in that area of Central America. Here is one way to make replicas of these worry dolls.
2. The clothespin’s round ball end is the doll’s head and the two tines are legs. With a Crayola Marker barrel, roll colorful, thin Model Magic Fusion™ slabs for clothing. With Crayola Scissors, cut out a tiny shirt with a V or scoop neck. Place it on the top of the clothespin.
3. Roll a long coil for arms. Attach arms behind the clip and wrap them around to the front. Add small balls for hands.
4. For pants, cover the bottom part of the clothespin. With a craft stick or scissors, carefully remove compound between the legs. Add small oval balls to each leg for feet.
5. Add the face and hair last. Use Model Magic Fusion Naturals for skin tones. Crayola Squeezables make great eyes, noses, and mouths with tiny dots. For fun hair, press a ball of modeling compound through a garlic press. Cut off the strings. Attach them to the head. Air-dry the dolls for 3 days before using.
6. Why not make several of these dolls? While traditional worry dolls were put in a little pouch under a pillow before bed, these fun replicas can hold papers, perch on a pencil cup, or just hang around on your desk!
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Squeezables® 3-D Paint—
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. Not for use on skin.
Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—
- Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
- Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
- Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
- The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
- Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
- Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
- Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.
Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points
- Create several dolls with different styles and types of culturally authentic clothes. Hang on string against a wall or in a window.
- Ask students to list recycled things that are common around their home. Discuss how the items they find are different from those Guatemalan children find to use when making worry dolls.
- Create self-portrait dolls. Make dolls for a puppet show.
- Assessment: Students are successful if they create dolls on a clothespin that have clothing, body parts, and details.
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