Clay
by Stacia Burke
A highlight for 4th graders has always been the clay project! Clay can be a very rewarding material as long as proper techniques are followed. To start this project out we give students a good overview of clay and how to use it. Some things we discuss are:
- kneading or wedging to remove air bubbles (bubbles can cause explosion in kiln)
- rolling out (for slab method)
- forming into can (for pinch method)
- rolling into coils (for coil method)
- score and slip for attaching pieces (scratch and water/glue)
- 1st firing in kiln (bisque-hard glass like state)
- glazing (3 coats)
- 2nd firing in kiln (glaze firing)
This year we assigned students to create a "container". This came with many different options given all they were taught. Any kind of container such as a bowl, cup, pencil holder and it must have either a lid or handles. The students were very creative and came up with some very nice projects!
