This week, I received two books that had a few of my activities published in them! I responded to a call for lesson plans by Gryphon House and was happy when mine were chosen. These look like fun books for a pre-school or kindergarten teacher. The activities are geared for early childhood. I have been seeking out various outlets for publishing, since I have always wanted to be a writer. It’s also fun to get free copies of the publications and it’s a thrill to see your name in print! When I was little, my dream was to interview celebrities for magazines!
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| An activity about rocks. |
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| What can you do with a dot? You may recognize this project… I recently posted about it on my blog. |
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| This is a weaving project I do with 1st graders, but it can be easily adaptable for younger kids. |
And now a question for teachers who are knowledgeable about kilns….
I have a kiln shelf that has glaze stuck to it. I have tried scraping it off to no avail. I simply cannot scrape anymore off. Do you have any suggestions? Is this shelf a total loss or is there something else I can do to save it?
<——————- my poor shelf.
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| And now a happy picture for you! My niece Sonia and my daughter Daria playing with bubbles. |
Congratulations Marcia – you deserve it! Your blog is an inspiration, I'm so pleased for you!!
Congratulations on your published articles! How did you find out about the call for articles?
As for the kiln shelf – I've had a few like these over the years! If the reverse side is undamaged, just use it flipped over, making sure your shelf supports don't touch the glazed areas. To prevent it in the future, you can apply kiln wash to all your shelves which will repel the glaze. It should be reapplied every so often as necessary. It will allow you to place glazeware directly on the shelf without fear of sticking but I always dip the bases of my glazeware in wax to keep the base as dry as possible. Wax burns off during the firing…you can read more details at http://handsheadnheart.blogspot.com/search/label/wax%20resist. Hope this helps!
I once had to use a chisel & hammer to get some pots out off the shelf so I feel your pain! I went on to the use the back of those shelves for a few more years!
Thanks! I found out about the call through Mary Kohl (she is an author through Griffon). I think she posted it on her blog or on an art teacher forum. Thanks so much for the tips about the glaze. I will try it again. We didn't have enough kiln wash on this shelf apparently!