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A conversation about using clay as a teaching tool
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Archive for the ‘Ideas for Grades K-8’ Category
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
These bowls are simple to make. We put almost every step in this lesson so you can make one even if you have never worked with clay.
So bring your “I can do it!” attitude and let’s make some bowls!
First things first… Clay dos and don’ts;
Do
- Use water sparingly
- Wipe your hands off on a cloth frequently.
- Be aware of where you are telling the clay to go by noticing the angle between your fingertips and middle knuckles.
- If the table is too high, put your work in your lap (on top of your cloth) or work standing up.
- Allow the dirty water sit so the clay settles, pour the clear water off and put the clay sludge in at trash bag or lined trash container.
Don’t
- Dump clay filled water down the drain (it will clog pipes).
- Put lots of water on your work.
- Do not throw clay (unless you have a potter’s wheel).
- Don’t handle your work carelessly, it will break.
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Start by cutting a slab of clay off of the large “pug”. Use a wire tool, a sturdy string or fishing line
Cut the slab into 4 smaller parts (six if you are working with very young children). Make two (or three) smaller.
Make the larger pieces into balls. Use the palm of your hand. Clay is one place you are allowed to smack loudly!
Start forming your bowl by holding it in one hand as shown. Then use the thumb of your other hand to form the middle hole. Leave it a bit thick at the bottom.
 Here you see the right hand doing the pinching and the left is just holding the piece. Starting at the bottom squeeze a little between thumb and fingers, turn the piece two finger widths and squeeze again. When you have moved all the way around the piece move up a thumbs length and do the process again. Note that the clay is going the way the finger is angled.
 You can repeat the process until the bowl is thick enough to hold it’s own weight and thin enough to “feel right” when you pick it up. This may take some practice. If your piece collapses, carefully crush it without trapping any air inside and make the clay into a ball, wrapping it to use for “decorative sprigs” later.
You now smooth the bowl if you want to. Then use a knife (fettling or butter knife) “to form the “foot”. The “foot” of a bowl helps the bowl sit firmly on the table without rolling.
 The wider the foot, the more stable the bowl. An excessively large foot makes a bowl heavy and can adversely affect the look of the bowl. Here you can clearly see a flat spot is cut at the bottom of the bowl. Trace a square on the flat area, then carefully cut away,starting at the flat spot with the slice narrowing at the curve of your bowl.
 Adding clay pieces to a clay form with slip is called “sprigging”. You will now make decorative elements which will attach to your bowl. Remember, if the sprigging is too heavy the bowl will tip to one side instead of being upright on the foot. One way to make things light is to make them hollow. If you close a form completely, poke a hole in it when you are finish, or the trapped air might break it.
Make your sprigging design, then lay it out without sticking it on. Once you have the “bugs” worked out, it will be time to attach everything.
Make little slices where you wish to attach a piece. This is called scoring. Then place a drop of water on the scored area, do the same with the sprig then press them firmly together. The scoring creates a great deal of surface area, the water creates a way for the clay particles to move easily. The pressure helps them line up and be strong with their new neighbors. The smaller the sprig, the less pressure is required.
Here is a little trick to make your limbs interesting. Apply a little pressure with dull side of the knife, then draw it along, allowing the rope of clay to roll. Do it both ways if you like for a pattern of diamonds or squares..
 Then you set the piece aside to dry. Let it dry for two weeks. If the piece is wet when it is painted the paint will blister. If the piece feels cool to your cheek it needs more drying time.
Paint the whole piece with clear, white, black or red gesso. Let it dry for a day.
Paint your piece carefully, starting on the inside. Take care not to break your sprigs as you work around the piece. Wadded paper towels or foam can be used to lay the piece upside down without damage.
The bowl at the front has had a coat of clear gloss acrylic medium. The bowl at the back has been painted with acrylic craft paint only.
**Click here to view or download a PDF version of this Lesson Plan>>
Tags: bowl, ceramics, classroom, clay, students, teacher, teaching
Posted in Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans | No Comments »
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
This lesson written by: Rosanne Sloane
  
Lesson Purpose:
We are going to create seed blossoms which we will be able to toss onto abandoned land. Each student will learn about our native wild flowers, choosing a flower they like and writing a brief description on it.
BACKGROUND: When Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon arrived in Florida on Palm Sunday in 1513, he named Florida, La Florida, “land of flowers,” in honor of the Spain’s Easter celebration. There was at that time an abundant wildflowers as far as the eye could see.
As communities grew, native Floridians people and new settlers utilized native wildflowers for a variety of things, from medicine and food to aesthetics. They recognized wildflowers’ places in nature’s hierarchy and their importance in the plant and animal kingdoms.
As years passed with the destruction of natural places in Florida in order to develop modern dwellings such as homes, schools, and businesses, with it’s the once beautiful landscape lost many of its wild flowers. Recognizing the loss of such beauty, many Floridians tried to save the wildflowers within in their own communities.
Florida’s flowers include more than 4,100 kinds of spontaneous occurring plants. There are 2,800 Florida native plants. Florida’s 2,800 native plant list includes trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses and flowering herbaceous species. In the spirit of Lady Bird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act created in 1965, we are going to help revitalize neglected landscapes with the use of clay and wild flower seeds.
DOWNLOAD: Organic Seed Blossom Lesson Plan>>
Organic Seed Blossom Recipe
DOWNLOAD: Organic Seed Blossom Recipe>>
Makes six ping pong size seed blossom
All materials in this recipe and instructional sheet are cheap or free, easy to find, and are natural and organic.
(Note: Buy seed mixtures of native flowers and plants to your area. Not only will they grow well, they will not crowd out other plants, disrupt bird and insect populations, or do other environmental damage.)
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder as a pest deterrent (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of water
(Add water as needed to make meatloaf like consistency. Water is for forming the clay, do not water seed blossom when finished.)
What you will need for mixing and storing Seed Blossoms:
- Yogurt container with lid
- Empty Egg carton
Instructions:
 Mix 5 parts clay with 1 part compost and 1 part flower seeds into the container. Put 1 tablespoon of water into the mixture. Add water a necessary but make sure not to make your mixture into a goopy sloppy mess!
Knead with hands into a ball, flatten it out like a tube and cut 1” spacing or to desired size. We would recommend wearing latex gloves when rolling the balls, tubes, and making the actual blossom.
 
Take each cut and make into a small ball and place into egg carton to dry.
Place egg carton by a window to help dry. Please allow 3 days to days thoroughly before tossing.
 
Choosing a Site
Choosing a suitable site is as crucial as choosing suitable seeds. Some might view seed blossom tossing as “vandalism.”
Best Site Choice
We want to make sure the land has been orphaned and would be suitable for wild flowers. We want to attract other wild life to help pollinate the wild flowers to be.
Here is a good check list to consider when searching for a site.
- Make sure the site is not a conservation area?
- Make sure the area is not privately owned.
- Make sure the land is not set aside for agricultural purposes.
- Make sure the site is abandoned and can be benefit from the seeds.
- Make sure the site is not a future construction site.
There are some Don’ts that need to be followed:
- Don’t throw seed blossoms at people, animals, buildings, vehicles or windows. Please make sure that nothing or no body can be damaged or harmed by your flying seed blossoms.
- Don’t throw them on land with inadequate growing conditions. If there is sun light and no obvious soil for the plants to anchor themselves causing them to perish.
Don’t use the seed blossoms as a form of aggression or vandalism.
Lesson Resources
Posted in Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans | No Comments »
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
How To Make A Wild Flower Power Air Dry Clay Tile
Download a PDF of this blog post showing how to create Air Dry Wildflower Tiles>>
Take a 25lb brick of Laguna Mexo-White Self Hardening Clay and cut a 1″ x 12″ x 12″ thick slab of clay.
1. Place the clay on a slab roller canvas or on newspaper to be roller out to a 25” x 30” slab.
2. Roll the clay through the slab roller or under the rolling pin.
 3. Slab the air dry clay until you get to ¼” thick.
4. Once you have a slab ¼” thick you can place a slab mat on top to erase the canvas marks or you can leave them.
5. Please your slab of clay on a clean piece of paper or clean work area.
6. Take a square cookie cutter about 2” x 2”. (If you want larger tiles you can use standard sizes such as 4” x 4” or 6” x 6” or a 8” x 8”.)
7. Cut as many tiles as you can from you 1st slab of 25” x 30” clay.
8. Please your stamp or stencil on top the tiles you have cut out to create the imprint you are creating. Make sure to spray the tile with vegetable oil or talc powder for quick release from the clay.
9. Press down on the stamp evenly or etch out the stencil at this time.
10. Pull back the tile or stencil carefully.
11. Examine the impression.
12. Once you examine the impression, continue stamping.
13. After the tiles have been cut and stamped, designate someone to smooth the edges.
14. You can smooth out any wrinkles or creases on the sides or top at this point.
15. Place tiles on a board to dry for the next three days.
16. Once dried, you can apply acrylic paints, spray paints, glitter, cork, rubber, or any other multi-media material to jazz up the tile.
 
Downloads:
Posted in Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans | No Comments »
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
A special thanks to our post author Alfredo Ratinoff for this wonderful mural project designed for grades K through 5. And to Laguna Distributor Tin Barn Pottery (email: tinbarnpottery@aol.com / (703) 330-1173) for working with Alfredo to provide the Versa 5 glazes to students for the project.
The Beginnings of the School-Wide Mural Project
Glebe Elementary (Arlington, VA) students have just completed a wonderful art journey. Under the guidance of artist Alfredo Ratinoff, what began as a first grade drawing game, became four, 8′ x 4′ tile murals permanently installed in the school’s courtyard. Glebe art teachers Stacey Lewis and Lynn Westergren were teaching an integrated unit on Force, Energy and Motion in the work of American painter Elizabeth Murray. As part of this unit, students made collaborative shape drawings. The results of this drawing game were surprisingly beautiful and Lewis and Westergren felt they were the perfect designs for a proposed mural project for the school courtyard.
Work Plan Created for a 400 Student Mural with Variation for Age Levels
Lewis and Westergren contacted Alfredo Ratinoff , whom they had worked with before when a 26ft x 28ft mural was created for the school lobby. Alfredo created a work plan that would allow all 400 Glebe students, K – 5, to have a part in the creation of these courtyard murals. Alfredo also crafted a design that recreated the 1st grade drawings in hand built clay slab relief and encased these pieces in dynamic glazed mosaic shapes. Kindergarten and 1st grade students glazed the quarry tile used for the mosaic with Versa 5 colors from Laguna Clay Company – Alfredo worked closely with Laguna Distributor Tin Barn Pottery (located in Manassas, Virginia) to obtain the Versa 5 glazes for this project.
The versatility of the Versa 5 Glazes allowed us to mix the glazes to obtain a beautiful subtle palette that set off the bright hues of the hand built slabs. Second and Third Grade students created the mosaic from broken glazed quarry tile. Using an enlarged map of the first grade drawings as their guide, fourth and fifth grade students sculpted the relief on shaped clay slabs and glazed these piece using the Versa 5 primary hues.
Mural Installation
Ratinoff and Westergren oversaw the installation of the four murals by Arlington County Public Schools tile installers. When Glebe students return this fall they will get daily enjoyment from the fruits of their year of work on this project. We want to express thanks to the Laguna Clay Company for creating such an outstanding line of glazes, that are simple enough for students to use, but consistently create marvelous professional grade results for outdoor projects.
Glebe Courtyard Mural Project Photos
Posted in Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom | No Comments »
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
This Lesson Plan is a collaborative effort made from Laguna B-Mix Clay with Grog and AMACO Velvet Underglazes and Clear Glaze.
 Please enjoy this very imaginative Ceramic Twizzler® Tile Mural Lesson Plan by clicking on the links below. Stephanie Osser developed this Twizzler® Lesson Plan after attending a ceramics workshop for faculty and staff at Babson College. She is the studio manager/ceramic artist-in-residence for a small ceramics program based at Babson College, a business school, in Wellesley, MA. She comes to ceramics from her career as a book illustrator. Her forte is bas-relief tile and sculpture and is currently involved in a commissioned bas-relief group project for the Cambridge Hospital Alliance in Cambridge, MA. Stephanie has also been chosen to be a resident artist in Denmark this summer for six weeks at an international ceramic research center called Guldagergaard. There she will work on her own narrative work in bas-relief tiles and sculpute and new technology in silk screen and decaling her drawings on clay. To learn more about Stephanie and her current and past projects, visit her personal website at: www.stephanieosser.com
- Click here to view the Step-by-Step Lesson Plan instructions on Laguna Clay’s website
- Click here to download a Printable (PDF) version of the Step-by-Step Lesson Plan instructions
Tags: ceramics, classroom, glaze, Stephani Osser, students, teaching, tiles, workshop
Posted in Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans, Reflections from a Ceramic Event, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, January 3rd, 2011
Objective: Use Laguna Paper Clay to create a collaborative classroom “Clan” Totem Pole, without firing in a kiln.
Presented By: David D. Gilbaugh, and Jennie Koons
Grade Levels: 3 & 4 (Adaptable K-12)
Background Information: The traditional use of Totem Poles is an ancient one held by many cultures around the world. Totems serve as a visual statement and record to commemorate and share the cultural history of a people. Totems come in four types including Crests, History, Legends, and Memorials. (Single lesson plan).
NOTE: Magic Water was mentioned in the CAEA Paper Clay Workshop.
Magic Water, product # IP238-G
Everyone needs some “magic” in their day. Laguna Clay makes Magic Water for the ease of those who do not have a full selection of raw materials in their studio. Use Magic Water to enhance clays ability to bond leather hard to dry clay pieces together and to create Magic mud to mend cracks in bone dry or bisque ware (a small addition of paper to regular clays will also aid in this process).
CLICK HERE to Download the Totem Pole Lesson Plan
 
Tags: ceramics, classroom, david gilbaugh, Jennie Koons, students, totem pole, workshop
Posted in Ceramics Around the World, Great Ceramic Artists, Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans, Reflections from a Ceramic Event, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Lesson Purpose: With the rapid rate of development in Florida, protecting endangered species and their habitat is becoming more critical. Some of the animals in the State of Florida have become extinct or are near extinction. This lesson plan will help promote and ensure the just and kind treatment of animals. Through artistic expression such as clay, students will be able to share and display their knowledge about Florida’s Endangered Species so that they can help improve the quality of the lives of these animals.
Note: This lesson plan can be applied to any state! Here is a link to find out more information about endangered species in your local state.
This lesson was written by: Rosanne Sloan, Sales Associate for Axner Pottery and Ceramic Supply Co.
Lesson Grade: 5
Lesson Plan Worksheets
<Endangered Species Lesson>
<Endangered Species Science Quest>
Tags: arts, ceramics, classroom, clay, conference, FAEA, Rosanne Sloane, Self-Hardening Clay, students, teaching
Posted in Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans, Teaching Research, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Lesson Purpose: With the rapid rate of development in Florida, protecting endangered species and their habitat is becoming more critical. Some of the animals in the State of Florida have become extinct or are near extinction. This list of endangered species will help to promote and ensure the just and kind treatment of animals. Through artistic expression such as clay, students will be able to share and display their knowledge about Florida’s Endangered Species so that they can help improve the quality of the lives of these animals.
Note: This lesson plan can be applied to any state! Here is a link to find out more information about endangered species in your local state.
This lesson plan was written by: Rosanne Sloane, Sales Associate for Axner Pottery and Ceramic Supply Co.
Lesson Grade: 5
Lesson Plan Worksheets
<Air Dry Tile Relief Lesson Plan>
<Florida Endangered Species List for the Lesson Plan>
Sample photos of the step-by-step process of the tile relief project
Laguna Mexo White Clay Featured
Tags: ceramics, classroom, clay, conference, FAEA, Rosanne Sloane, Self-Hardening Clay, students, teaching
Posted in Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for Grades K-8, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans, Teaching Research, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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