Features of wax clay and his choice

Plasticine is a material for children's development that must be presented in every home. At the same time, today the variety of substances called plasticine is large enough to confuse parents, because it is not easy to determine what exactly to choose is right. Recently, for small children, wax clay is increasingly recommended, but you should not blindly follow all the recommendations, so let's try to figure out what it is and why it is considered useful.

Wax clay is a variation of classic clay, but it is made on a wax basis. This means that we are not talking about any completely new materials that have nothing in common with clay, but still bear this name; Before us - all the same classic clay, only with a significant addition of wax.

Consequently, All the basic properties are similar to those of classic clay. This is a typical material for modeling, designed, to a greater extent, not for the durable storage of finished handicrafts, but for the maximum simplicity of their manufacture, which is very important for those kids who take only the first steps in this kind of creativity.

Sculpting as a whole is comprehensively useful for young children, and with wax clay it turns out to be even more necessary for development. First of all, she perfectly trains fine motor skills. Wax clay is different softness, so that the muscles do not pump it, but it is not created for this - on the contrary, due to its compliance it does not repel the child from the process, making the task easy and fun. Working with him is an exercise not for strength, but for the dexterity of fingers that so need training.

Sculpting is very useful for better awareness of the world. Any even relatively complex work is molded from the component parts, which gives the child a general idea of ​​the general and the particular. Thinking through the ways of constructing such composite crafts develops engineering thinking - the child learns to solve complex problemsby breaking them up into several simpler steps.

There is also a psychological moment due to which modeling is the best kind of creativity for children. Here, any mistake in the process of doing the work can be easily corrected, there is no need to start from the very beginning, and the overall softness of the wax clay only helps to continue learning without giving up.

Many parents are misled by the fact that wax clay is only a kind of classic - supposedly, why then buy it? In fact, there is a difference, and very tangible. Perhaps some of the best examples of ordinary clay surpass the mediocre wax, but on average wax-based material It turns out to be much better in a number of parameters, including:

• Ease of formation. Wax mass is much softer, which at times facilitates the task for the youngest children. The classic material requires preliminary warming up, sometimes the child’s efforts are not enough at all, and then adult help is needed, but wax clay does not require warming up at all and is affected by the weakest children's hands.
• High stickiness. Because of the hardness of classic clay, parts made of it often have to be pressed hard enough to be glued together. Details on the basis of wax "seize" much better, which simplifies the creation of complex handicrafts.

• High brightness. If we talk about the classic clay of most domestic producers, then in the sets, despite the large number of declared colors, it is almost impossible to find truly bright colors. Wax products are on average somewhat brighter, and this can be one of the main factors stimulating children's interest in sculpting.
• Caring for the health of the child. The mere fact that the basis of the mass is ordinary natural wax suggests that the composition of the mixture is predominantly natural. This does not mean that wax clay is completely safe and definitely does not contain any harmful additives, because manufacturers are not always conscientious, but in the case of classic clay, you often do not know what it is made of.

• No smell. Smell as a phenomenon is a sign that a material or substance emits certain fumes that are not always harmless. Wax clay almost does not smell, which indicates its chemical neutrality. It is non-toxic, and is recommended even to those children who are prone to allergic reactions.
• Cost If you compare with the classic clay of domestic production, the wax mass is approximately comparable, that is, financially, it is no less profitable. If you try to compare it with imported products, it turns out that the promoted foreign brands offer their goods much more expensive, which once again pushes to buy a wax-making mass for modeling.

Although wax clay itself is already a subtype of the classic, it can also be divided into more specific subspecies. True, the division here is rather conditional, and a person who does not deal with modeling issues regularly may not even notice any difference.

First of all, simple wax clay is always very soft, because that's why It is well suited for kids. The content of wax in the mixture and the exact composition of the wax base may be different, which directly affects the softness of the material. Softer options are good in cases where the child is still very small, and it is quite difficult for him to knead even very soft material.

Like almost any classic clay, wax mass for modeling does not glow in the dark, but there is also a fluorescent option, in a darkened room forming a slight glow. Due to this, crafts from it look much more interesting and unusual, which additionally attracts kids with a certain fabulousness of the result obtained.

A good example of wax clay is a set of Premium from the famous manufacturer "Ray" - if the similar material of any other manufacturer has similar properties, it means that it is worthy to buy it.

For each individual manufacturer, the approach to the composition of the components of the wax clay may vary somewhat, which affects the properties of the material obtained, but the main groups of ingredients are always approximately the same.

The main component of wax clay - wax base. It uses not only natural beeswax, but also related materials, such as paraffin and stearin. Most often, manufacturers do not choose one thing, but mix these components in a certain proportion, which is often more or less close to three equal parts.

Such a formulation, with all its plasticity, can still be sufficiently solid for successful modeling of figures with a long shelf life, whereas wax clay must have an incredible softness, designed for the needs of even years. This means that the composition must also be added plasticizers, which can be very different. It is very important that this component is natural and does not evaporate in the open air, otherwise instead of reusable wax clay, you will get a solidifying mass.

The third required component is dyes, because it is important for children that their crafts have aesthetic appeal. It is dyes that are the main risk group, since natural substances usually look quite faded, and manufacturers, in pursuit of the presentation, may include synthetics, characterized by high brightness.

Waxy clay, like most other varieties of domestic classical clay, often sold large multi-colored sets of 8-24 shades. In this case, any number of colors in the set in its own way is justified.

In particular, if a child is really quite small and is at that stage of learning how to make balls and sausages, it makes no sense to buy him a whole palette - the “poor” set is enough, if only the colors were bright enough.

Conversely, if the baby has already achieved some success and creates fairly complex crafts, you must take a set with the number of colors not less than 16-18 pieces. Theoretically, of course, the desired shade can be obtained by mixing the available colors in the correct proportion, but this task may be too difficult for a small one.

Unusually, mainly domestic manufacturers are engaged in the production of wax clay - there is practically no import of such goods. Of the Russian companies involved in the production of this children's material, the Yaroslavl Chemical Plant won the most respect of consumers. "Ray", For several decades now, it has been providing Russian children with high-quality paints and clay. This brand is considered one of the pioneers of the production of wax clay, and its products are fairly considered to be classics in the industry. A set of "Fantasy" from this company will be an endless source of inspiration for children, because it contains a pound of material in 24 different shades.

In Russia and the former Soviet Union, wax clay is also widespread. "Gamma" Ukrainian production.

In the next video you will find a review of wax clay "Bee".