Soapstone Carving

One of the best things about having a grade partner is that each person brings something new to the table, and the students are the ones who benefit.  I have had a class do soap stone carving before, but I have never put it together with Religion.  Thanks to Mrs. L, we started our project with Rubble Carving.

The soapstone was actually imported from Brazil.  The first step was for the students to use the rasp (and who knows if I am spelling that correctly), to take the sharp edges off of the crosses that had been cut out using a saw at the shop.

It's a messy and tedious process, but every student was fully engaged in their job!

We had the instructor with us for 1.5 hours and were able to finish the edges, and do the first sanding. Thanks to the three parents who came to lending a helping hand.  You made the whole experience more enjoyable!

Some students, but not all, were able to move onto the second sanding stage, which really brought out the colour, added a smoother, glass like texture and removed most of the scratches.

Each student could decide how they would make their cross to reflect their own thoughts.

There's a couple more steps including another sanding and then oiling to bring out the lovely colour of the minerals within the rock.  Look forward to seeing the finished products at our Student Led Conferences on March 25 and 26.

Just a little note:

1.  Please send the students' assignments back the day after they are sent home to complete.  If they are left at home, the student is often even further behind because the next class, they had nothing to work with.

2.  Until the back field/playground is dry, please send your child with snow pants or slush pants and rubber boots.  The students are drawn to the water and are splashing around even though each teacher has requested that they stay away.  When they run and play, they OFTEN end up on their knees or bottoms, so they become soaked or covered in mud.