The characters have taken their places within their scenes. It’s almost time to roll the cameras on this movie set. This is no ordinary shoot though. The characters are all made out of clay sculpted by elementary kids and the sets are small scale created with cardboard, colored paper and other miscellaneous craft supplies. Club kids at the Paradise Valley site are learning the art of Claymation.

“Claymation uses objects or characters sculpted from clay. A series of still pictures are taken to tell a story and then played in sequence to create the impression of a movie,” explained Nicole Arner, PV site director. “You may be familiar with the California Raisins or Gumby and even Wallace and Gromit. They are all examples of Claymation.”

Each Wednesday and Friday, members in the 4th and 5th grade have been working on the project. With guidance from Miss Lyndsey, the kids worked on each stage of development from brainstorming the story line to what each scene would look like and then building the clay figures and the sets. Along with learning a new art form, Nicole said this project provided lessons in working together as a team, patience, and effective communication.

The storyline of the short film also allowed the youngsters to explore the importance of an education. Titled “Cool to Stay in School”, the film tells of a mom who uses her own experience of skipping class to teach her child’s classmates why it’s important to stay in school.
Nicole said she “wanted the kids to be as involved as possible to really let them make this project their own. Although the film is short, it has taken weeks of hard work to put together.”

The young “claymators” will debut their finished film “Cool to Stay in School” on Friday, April 15 at 5:30 pm at Paradise Valley Elementary School. They will also have a short presentation on what it takes to make a Claymation project. The public is invited to attend.