In my college clay class I learned this extremely valuable clay trick. One of my students called it an “ancient clay secret” so I like to call it that too. This technique may be one that is known to you, but if you have never seen it, this technique may be helpful to you in your classroom. This has saved many pots from falling over in my teaching career. Uh-oh! The walls are lopsided and falling over! What do I … Read more…
We learned about Sumerian art. The students drew Sumerian statuettes and we also made some figures out of clay! These statuettes are characterized by large, staring eyes, clasped hands, cylindrical bodies, expressionless faces and bodies devoid of gender differentiation. They have religious and cultural meaning and we will investigate this in class.
Here is one of my favorite little clay projects I have done. We made clay monsters. I taught this project about 5 years ago and I haven’t done it again. I think I will do it again this year. These are really easy. You just make a pinch pot, turn it on its side and then add your features. We painted these with neon tempera paints. Acrylic paints would probably work better. We also spray varnished them. And now it’s … Read more…
For this project, we drew African masks and then constructed them from slabs of clay. These were painted with acrylic paints and then sprayed with varnish.
I did an after school clay class with kids in grades K-6
To complement their study of explorers, the Primaries made clay Viking ships. We started by rolling a flat slab of clay with a rolling pin and then cutting out the bottom of the boat. Next, we rolled coils of clay to build up the walls. Finally, students could choose to add a dragon head to the ship and shields. We painted a fabric sail while the clay projects dried. After these were fired in the kiln, we painted them … Read more…
Easy Clay Hearts for Kindergarten This project teaches how to roll coils and basic glazing techniques. 1. Step one, Demonstrate rolling coils.2. Form the coils on a pre-drawn heart handout. Press firmly to adhere together. A little bit of water may be added as needed.3. Teacher pokes hole through top.4. After firing, glaze with clay glazes. Limit the color choices for the little ones.5. Tie yarn and raffia through the hole. Voila! A nice little ornament or wall hanging for … Read more…
