A Sneak Peek at My Kid's School Auction Project

I am so excited about this project that I have been working on for school.  I just have to share a bit.  My kid's school has an auction every year, where they raise funds for the school.  Each child in the elementary school is asked to work on, or have a hand in, making a class project that will be auctioned off. 

Some examples of things that have been made are collages made from the kid's paintings, chess sets made of clay, and painted benches.  It is hard to come up with an idea that is do-able with kids of this age, and also is desireable for purchase by the general population, given the skill level that we are working with.

I took responsibility for the 4th grade project. And what I mean by that is that I came up with a plan, made arrangements, set up meetings, ordered supplies, and had my talented husband do all of the work.

I call it going with my strengths. 

So we took a flameworking torch to school, plus some glass and tools.  Hubby showed the kids how he works with glass, spins it, manipulates it and works with the flame to bring out certain colors, or effects. 

The kids were fascinated.  The teachers were pleased. It became a learning experience for everyone.  We talked about all kinds of scientific topics, like how this solid could turn into a liquid under extreme temperatures, how the glass needs to cool slowly, or it will crack, and why. 

Then we let each student design their own bead-with paper and pencil.  They drew the bead that they would like to have created.  Some of the designs were simple, and some were pretty wild.

My hubby worked diligently over the last month to produce replicas of what the kids had designed.And here is your sneak peek! Just look at these beautiful beads! I'll share what I'm going to do with them tomorrow!