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Contemporary Cuckoo Clocks

You may have discovered on Instagram that we recently hosted a summer workshop for 6 – 9 year olds- CRAZie FOR CONTEMPORARY CUCKOO CLOCKS!  Beyond excited to jump into this workshop as it has been a project that has been stirring in my mind for quite sometime.  Thrilled to see it come to life!  As a little girl growing up, one of my great-grandmothers had a beautiful, hand-carved, traditional, wooden cuckoo clock in her tiny home.  I remember traveling to my great-grandmother’s Colorado home in the summer for weekend visits with my family.  My sister and I were always mesmerized by her cuckoo clock.  We were sure to be in the living room at the beginning of every hour to see the chirping bird make its grand entrance and to hear cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!  Definitely a favorite childhood memory that I can still visualize and hear as it was yesterday.  Although our workshop’s cuckoo clocks were not mechanical, the children loved every moment of personalizing and piecing them together!  Once we were in the midst of our mini-art exhibit at the end of the week, I was reminded of how BIG impressions are made in little + simple childhood days!  I hope each of these children walk away with a special memory to hold.  I’m thankful for each and everyone of my childhood memories, as they take me back to the heart of who I am today!  Take a peek!

SUPPLIES

  • A cardboard photo holder box
  • Chipboard (light weight + easy to cut cardboard)
  • Masking tape + duct tape to reinforce
  • Pencil + Scissors
  • Paint (white acrylic to prime + tempera paint to accent all pieces + parts)
  • Air dry white clay
  • Cool temp glue gun + glue sticks
  • Large + bright pom poms
  • Pinecones
  • Cording + ric rack
  • Mini garland
  • Googly eyes

PROCESS 

ONE  Cut a piece of chipboard the width of your photo box and the roof top desired double length.  Fold in half so your roof top is symmetrical.

TWO  Cut two decorative eves using zigzag, scallops or a design of your choice the length of your roof top.

THREE  Use a high quality masking tape to connect eves to roof top so pieces meet in the center.  You may need to reinforce with duct tape.  Allow both eves to fold forward.  Use masking tape + duct tape to connect roof with box to form the 3-D structure of your cuckoo clock.  Out of chip board, cut out four large leaves and one bird for top.

FOUR  Mix up a batch of paper mache and tear small pieces of brown bags or a heavier weight paper to use to strengthen your clock.

Papermache all the connecting points of the clock, focusing on the roof top and eves.  Then move to paper mache on the leaves and bird for top of roof.  First coat and let dry over night and then do a second coat on all your paper mache pieces.

Most children love the messy process of paper mache.  We enjoy working at a large table, as a group to enjoy lots of giggles, laughter and conversations!

FIVE  Use air dry clay to form a nest + eggs + cuckoo bird to paint after it has all dried.  This nest + eggs perched in the loft and the cuckoo bird was glued to the front of the clock.

SIX  Once everything is dry, children love moving into color and planning their color combinations!  First we primed our entire clock with white acrylic.  Once dry, we moved into tempera paint focusing on our rooftop and eves and then moving into the smaller parts + pieces.

A peek into some of our colorful + exciting + textural supplies to personalize + detail our Contemporary Cuckoo Clocks that can easily be glued on!

SEVEN  Drill holes in the bottom of your box to string cording onto pop poms and pinecones that have been hot glued together.  Arrange and glue leaves, bird and wings once your pieces have been painted and dried.  Add a doorway and shutters using glittery + sticky foam.  Add a clock using Roman numerals + sticky foam arrows for clock hands.  Use mini pom pom and ric rack for detailing.  Add a sweet garland above or below your cuckoo clock.  Use googly eyes for both birds.  There are many ways you can individualize + personalize your piece!

Excited that one of these pieces will going into our own home!  Hope you may be inspired to create a cuckoo clock of your own with your children!

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