AHG Troop Workshops
Are you interested in hosting a troop workshop where girls can sculpt their very own personalized clay figurine? Then you've come to the right place! We want to help you have the best experience possible when planning a workshop for your troop, so we've laid out what the process should look like if you plan on making an order for several kits. Please take a moment to review the information below before you place your order.
Step 1: Ordering your kits
• ORDER THE KITS: Each clay kit you order will have personalized details, so you must fill out the order form on the listing and add the kits to the cart, one at a time.
• CONFIRM ENOUGH ADULTS: We recommend 1 adult per 5 girls for facilitating a workshop AND that each adult buys a kit of their own to sculpt prior to the workshop, in order to better understand the process and assist girls on the day of (some require more one-on-one help than others). Adult and troop leader kits are available for a discounted price of $12.95.
• REVIEW ALL DETAILS: Before placing your order, be sure to review and confirm personalization details for each girl.
Step 2: Prep for the workshop
• REVIEW YOUR ORDER: Once you receive your clay kits, open them to confirm they are accurate. (Is the hair color accurate? Is the name spelled properly? Are accessories accurate?)
• SCULPT/WATCH BEFORE WORKSHOP: Sculpt and/or watch full tutorial for the kits you have ordered. This way, you know what to expect with your troop members and then on the day of your workshop you are able to assist those girls that may require a little more direction. Have your additional adults sculpt and/or watch the full tutorial as well.
Step 3: Day of the workshop
• CHECK YOUR TECH: Even though each clay kit comes with step-by-step instructions, we highly recommend having technology available to view videos during workshop. Take a few minutes before workshop begins to make sure everything is working properly. (YouTube videos will work on any device with internet access, such as iPad, tablet, or tv.)
• DON’T WORK AHEAD: On the day of the workshop, encourage the girls to follow instructions on the step-by-step instruction sheet and steps provided in the video, and not to go ahead.
• EXPECT 60-90 MINS SCULPTING TIME: Each girl will work at their own pace, but you can typically expect it to take 60-90 minutes for them to finish their creation. If they aren’t able to finish in the allotted time OR there is no oven available at the end, they can store everything back in the box and continue sculpting/baking the figure at home.
Step 4: Follow up
• HOW DID IT GO?: We’d love to hear how your workshop goes! Our Troop Leader customer service rep will reach out to you once you’ve had your workshop to follow up and see how it went. If you are able to get photos of the girl’s creations during or at the end, we would be thrilled to see them and post on our social as inspiration!
Here at Bert’s Clay Studio, our focus is to encourage children with a positive experience. If a craft project fails, then the children will not want to do it again – they can become discouraged. We want to encourage them that they can build something from a lump of clay into something uniquely theirs; that we all have the ability to take that same clay and use our imaginations to create our own interpretation of art. You can give a child the same amount of clay blocks, colors and directions and they will never make the exact piece. Just as God does with our lives – we are uniquely his!
Our clay kits come with everything needed to sculpt a personalized clay figurine. They're a great way for girls to practice their creativity and are perfect for group settings. Completing one of our kits helps the girls earn towards the Creative Crafts Badge.
How does it work?
Polymer clay can be a very intimidating. The clay can be rock hard when it is purchased (because of the process, the clay is not consistent in pliability). We take that clay and condition it (soften it with diluent and process it) to make it easy on a child’s hands to sculpt with. We then pre-cut the clay pieces, so the child will have exact measurements.
We include all tools necessary to complete the finished product – only an oven is needed (conventional or toaster oven works!). It bakes on 265 for about 25 minutes. Hand wipes, baking board, even a sticker for the back for the child to sign and date their artwork. Thorough instructions and video links are included in the kit as well as our website.
A little history
I’m Roberta “Bert” Prostor owner/ creator of Bert’s Clay Studio, LLC and Bert’s Clay Creations. I’ve been an ornament designer for well over 30 years. It has been my joy as well as passion as long as I can remember. As a child I loved to play with Play-Doh to create something using my imagination. I believe children should tap into their God-given gift of creativity with something tangible. Just like an artist paints or a sculptor sculpts with their hands, I believe a “hands on” experience is vital to children’s creativity and imagination.
I’ve been blessed to be a mother of 6 children and married to my husband for 38 years in June. When our children were younger, I would go into each class at Christmastime and teach their classmates the process of polymer clay. Carefully cutting the pieces in chunks, little toothpicks and hooks to hang, were all placed in plastic cups and passed out. I would teach them each step along the way and then take home to bake, bringing back the finished product to school the next day (with 6 classrooms times 20 plus children in each, you do the math!). The joy on their faces said it all and it was my reward of the gift God had given to me. To this day, I have those kids saying to me on Facebook “Mrs. Prostor I still have that ornament I made in 3rd grade and it’s my favorite!” Parents too, cherish these precious ornaments their children had made years ago.
I am so excited to teach new generations the wonderful medium of polymer clay!
