I handed out paper and asked the kids to draw a figure, symbol, animal, person, or thing that would remind them to stay calm and remain peaceful. For example, one student drew a "peace pony." Then, the next week I passed out clay and had them get used to modeling it. On the third week, we started sculpting the peace symbol we chose.

Clay is a forgiving medium when it comes to sculpting, meaning you can quite easily fix small mistakes. However, it can be very easy to make mistakes. Therefore, by using clay, you learn that although mistakes are easy to make, they can sometimes be fixed. Also, it is important to accept that you will have to make mistakes in order to learn and perfect the craft. Sculpting with clay is a nurturing process. Especially once the sculpture is finished and ready to be bisque fired, it is extremely fragile.

By creating sculptures like "peace pony," the kids learned that mistakes are actually a good thing because it means you're learning. They also learned that you can fix your mistakes but that they must be careful going forward. Finally, by attaching meaning to the object they created and nurtured, they are reminded to remain calm.