Elephant Bells

It's hard to imagine losing an elephant, but a common practice among elephant owners--'mahouts'--is to let their elephants forage freely at night in the jungle. This leaves the problem of how to find the creatures the next day. Elephants wear bells so they can be found. Elephant bells tend to be large, and ornate.
Kids enjoy making 'real', useful objects in art, and an elephant bells project would fit nicely into several different kinds of units. It would be fun to make large bells out of clay, with a hole inside the bell body, as well as in the separately made 'clapper' (the piece inside), that could be attached later using wire or string. Include a hole or handle on top so the bell can hang from something. Use the sgraffito method to scratch patterns and designs on the outside before firing.  Alternatively, it could be a fun challenge to make bells out of found objects, silverware, bowls, cans, etc. these objects could be used as forms for paper mâché or embossed tinfoil, painted (add glue to paint to help it stick), or strung together as is.