A magic wand and a bit of imagination were all second-grade students in Colleen Steffens’ class at John F. Kennedy Elementary School needed to make handmade clay figures come to life.

The students were learning about story elements by focusing on the flounder’s human characteristics in the Grimm fairy tale “The Fisherman and His Wife.” After discussing personification, the students were instructed to make their own creatures out of clay. The clay figures were then empowered with human characteristics by the tap of a magic wand. An enchanting musical chime from Ms. Steffens’ phone completed the imaginary effect and made the activity even more fun.