Awesome Clay for Kinder - 5th Grade

Kindergarten and First Grade

Kindergarten students make an "elbow" pot.  First grade students make a "pinch pot".  Pinch pots are used as a base to make many more clay artworks.

Students use a "finger" of water to smooth the clay.  After the pots have dried and then been fired, Kinder and first grade each learn how glaze is different from paint. These are bisque artworks from first and second grade loaded into the kiln.  This year, Kinder used a special glaze that had "speckles" in it.  

First grade glazed their pots and then used "Stroke and Coat" to decorate.  I love to watch their discoveries of putting one color on top of another.  A favorite part of my job is opening the kiln after a glaze firing to see how beautiful their artwork has become.  

Clay Play Day

When students come to my class we only have 45 minutes once a week so we have to get to work.  The kids don't get to just play with the clay.  This year I let Kinder and First grade have a day to just play with the clay and these photographs are the result!  They had a blast!!!

Second Grade

  Each year, students learn another more difficult, clay skill.  This year Second grade make turtles, learning how to correctly attach one piece of clay to another....SCORE, WATER, SEAL!

Third Grade

Earlier this year, Third graders studied portraits using Eric Carl's collage technique so I decided to continue using what they learned by creating 3D portrait using clay.  After learning some techniques and then inspiring their imaginations they each created a unique bust!  I love the way they turned out!!

These were not glazed.  We used tempera paint to paint the busts.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade made a plate.  They used stamps I made out of clay to decorate their plate.   Then we used an "underglaze" on the greenware (dried clay) and fired it.  After it was fired we used another glaze to go over that and fired it again.  They came out beautiful!

Here is our Librarian taking a "STARR test" break.  Ms. Beck loves to create using clay so she came to the art room and made a plate too!

Fifth Grade

 I have been doing this house project with Fifth graders for a few years.  When the younger students see them they want to know when they are going to make one.  Students use their previously learned skills of attaching pieces correctly added to architectural details.