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Lights, camera, action! Looking for a way to bring your students’ book reports, science/social studies projects, or writing projects to life? Let them create a Claymation Movie.

Claymation is a type of stop motion animation created by moving an object in very small amounts and taking a picture between each movement - think the California Raisins or Wallace and Gromit. You then run all of the pictures together at a fast pace to create the illusion that the object(s) are really moving.

Thanks to the low cost and high availability of digital technology, you can create your own claymation movie with only a computer, digital camera, tripod, and clay. You start by placing a clay figure(s) in front of a backdrop. A cut-out box works great for this. You take a digital picture then move the object(s) a very small amount and take another picture. You continue in this sequence until you have moved the object(s) through all of the motions to tell your story. To liven up your movies or create more drama, incorporate props with your clay object(s). You then insert the digital pictures into a program like Movie Maker. You can make the duration of each photo frame as short as necessary to give your clay figure(s) the illusion that they are moving when you play the movie. If you want to enhance your Claymation you can add narration by using Audacity or add some sound effects by using Sound Dogs. -MONIQUE ST.LOUIS

Claymation Movie - Shooting Hoops, courtesy a 2nd grade student in Burke County, NC