Ceramics! November 7th

On November 7th we decided to bring out the clay and test our ceramics with the second graders. Mrs. Pettit and I put plastic over the tables to help keep things clean. Each student used a chunk of clay, some water, sponges, and a paper clip along with their own hands and imaginations to create some fun ceramic pieces. The original plan was to just make some simple pinch pots. I decided last minute that it might be fun to teach them the basics on how to make a sculpture with the clay instead of a pot since that's what I like to do. Most of the students wanted to make a sculpture, but after we got to work I realized that may not have been a good idea. They had fun making sculptures but I'm worried that as they are fired in the kiln some of them might explode. I tried to help and remind them to make the bigger sculptures hollow so they would be safe in the kiln but many of them feel really heavy for how small they are. After the thanksgiving break we'll find out if they made it through the kiln safely or not. I told the students how my very first ceramics piece broke and I had to glue it together to help prepare them for what might come. They all had a lot of fun playing with the clay and getting messy, maybe a little too messy.