Pre-School clay in the classroom
Basic theoretical information about clay, ceramic materials and the firing process:
In schools usually earthenware clay is used because it can be fired at a lower temperature. Earthenware clay comes in two main colours, white and terracotta. I think its good to use pre-school kids. They can mix and combine both clays in their constructions.
Its useful to let children know that clay is used to make cups, crockery, toilet bowls and many other things. Clay is just special mud, mud that has the ingredients in it that make it hold together well. If you dig about 30cm deep into the ground in Melbourne, chances are that you will find some. When we heat clay in a big oven called a kiln, it turns into a rock. It’s a bit like throwing your pot into a volcano. The kiln fires five times hotter than an oven.
How to manage clay storage and re-use
Always open your clay bag carefully by peeling off the tape. This bag is your best friend for storing clay.
After use, I get the children to thump the clay on their boards into cubes, 10x10cm square. The thumping process is very enjoyable for them, and it also pushes out the air bubbles. Then the clay is put into its original bag with a damp cloth and the edge folded over and stored out of sunlight. The damp cloth allows the damp to spread evenly through the clay. Two days later the clay is usually ready for re-use. Terracotta takes a little longer to re-dampen. Do not squash a thumbhole into the clay, as this adds to the chances of getting air bubbles in the children’s work.
If you store your clay this way there is no need for kneading the clay, just pull out the cubes, pass one to each child and play again.
Firing the work and alternatives to traditional ceramic finishing methods
Clay is usually fired twice; the first firing is called Bisque - 1000 C degrees
The second firing is called the glaze firing and in earthenware it goes to a temperature of 1060 – 1080C.
Most work that blows up in the kiln is due to not being dried enough. Clay work needs to be dried thoroughly before firing.
If you don’t have access to a kiln, it is easier to fire the work once, to bisque temperature. This gives you a biscuit finish like a terracotta pot. Children can decorate terracotta at its raw stage with white slip or blue underglaze and it will look quite good with only a biscuit fire. Otherwise many teachers biscuit fire the work and then let the children paint it with acrylic or tempera paint. The work can also be sprayed with a clear gloss spray paint (outside, and wearing a face mask) to give it a glossy finish.
Managing the activity in the classroom and cleaning up
When I run workshops I usually cover the table with newspaper, as it absorbs spills and can be easily be disposed of by folding inwards and placing in the bin. Children are given boards (about 20x20 cm) to work on which are porous, so that the clay does not stick to them. ( Masonite, plywood, plaster board, particle board, mdf) Board is very cheap at the hardware store and can be very easily sawn.
A variety of tools can be used, ones specially made for ceramics, mixed with things such as forks, blunt knives, garlic crushers, rolling pins, gum nuts and seed pods, icy pole sticks and textures.
Slip is also good for joining things with, and also painting onto clay.
Health and Safety:
Clay dust is not good for your respiratory system. It is not good to eat either, as it may some bacteria in it.
Activity 1: Slab-built bowl with leaf textures
How to make the slab bowl, imprinting textures. What to use for a mould. Decoration with oxides
You will need:
Plastic bowls, cloths, leaves, textured material, rolling pins, oxides, soft paintbrushes. Water jars.
Roll out the clay about 1 cm thick (as thick as your pinkie)
Roll on textures
Place cloth over bowl, place clay slab over top of cloth and arrange into bowl.
Activity 2: rolling coils – coil made tree
Coils can be called sausages. Coils should be rolled with two hands and fingers splayed out to support the coil as you roll it. Coils can be joined together without slip if the clay is soft and the clay is blended over the join, otherwise, slip needs to be used.
Using slips and oxides to decorate.
Building with coils – bowls and houses.
Activity 3: dioramas. Installation activities
This session will explore ideas for group dioramas or installations where all the children will make a part of a larger artwork.
Activity 4: Low relief sculpture tiles or hanging plaques.
Methods of joining clay and building pictures on slabs.
Slabs should always be rolled out about 1cm thick and no thinner, so that they are strong. When demonstrating rolling a slab, it is very important to lift the slab after each attempt at rolling. Roll and lift, roll and lift. As when the slab is rolled it often sticks to the board, if children do not lift the slab, they will make rolling more difficult as they will only be dragging the top layer of clay across the board.
Change directions when rolling to get a more even slab.
They should be dried slowly, on their boards piled up about 4 high with a board on top of the top one.. A double sheet of newspaper on top of each work will protect it and aid with the drying.
Activity 5: Stamps and stamping,
making wind chimes. – Wind chimes, are a great activity. The children can try to make beads and bells and put a hole in them so that they can hang them. They can be decorated with white slip and alice blue underglaze, then they only need to be bisque fired. Or you can bisque fire them and then paint them.
Children also enjoy rolling out clay and cutting it with cookie cutters. They can use a knitting needle ( safer than skewers) to pierce a hole in the shape.
Other materials can be used in the wind-chime construction process, such as driftwood, raffia, buttons and shells.
Activity 6: Pinch pots
Decoration with decorating slip and blue underglazes – a useful combination that will give a good result for one firing.
How to make a pinch pot: make a ball of clay by cupping your clay from one hand to the other. Alternatively you may squeeze it into a ball shape or roll it.
Put your thumb in the middle like little Jack Horner did. Ideally the hole has to go in leaving a centimetre at the bottom. Begin to pinch the wall and turn the pot. Pinch and turn is an important refrain for making the children understand that it is a slow process of pinching and turning the pot until it becomes bigger and thinner.
For more information about clay products and processes please see the information sheets at Northcote pottery’s website. Just google Northcote pottery, open the website and on the left hand side choose the page - Tech tips/product info.
For information, tips and links to sites about using clay in the classroom, Debbie’s wikispace might be useful :http://ceramicsclass.wikispaces.com/
Basic theoretical information about clay, ceramic materials and the firing process:
In schools usually earthenware clay is used because it can be fired at a lower temperature. Earthenware clay comes in two main colours, white and terracotta. I think its good to use pre-school kids. They can mix and combine both clays in their constructions.
Its useful to let children know that clay is used to make cups, crockery, toilet bowls and many other things. Clay is just special mud, mud that has the ingredients in it that make it hold together well. If you dig about 30cm deep into the ground in Melbourne, chances are that you will find some. When we heat clay in a big oven called a kiln, it turns into a rock. It’s a bit like throwing your pot into a volcano. The kiln fires five times hotter than an oven.
How to manage clay storage and re-use
Always open your clay bag carefully by peeling off the tape. This bag is your best friend for storing clay.
After use, I get the children to thump the clay on their boards into cubes, 10x10cm square. The thumping process is very enjoyable for them, and it also pushes out the air bubbles. Then the clay is put into its original bag with a damp cloth and the edge folded over and stored out of sunlight. The damp cloth allows the damp to spread evenly through the clay. Two days later the clay is usually ready for re-use. Terracotta takes a little longer to re-dampen. Do not squash a thumbhole into the clay, as this adds to the chances of getting air bubbles in the children’s work.
If you store your clay this way there is no need for kneading the clay, just pull out the cubes, pass one to each child and play again.
Firing the work and alternatives to traditional ceramic finishing methods
Clay is usually fired twice; the first firing is called Bisque - 1000 C degrees
The second firing is called the glaze firing and in earthenware it goes to a temperature of 1060 – 1080C.
Most work that blows up in the kiln is due to not being dried enough. Clay work needs to be dried thoroughly before firing.
If you don’t have access to a kiln, it is easier to fire the work once, to bisque temperature. This gives you a biscuit finish like a terracotta pot. Children can decorate terracotta at its raw stage with white slip or blue underglaze and it will look quite good with only a biscuit fire. Otherwise many teachers biscuit fire the work and then let the children paint it with acrylic or tempera paint. The work can also be sprayed with a clear gloss spray paint (outside, and wearing a face mask) to give it a glossy finish.
Managing the activity in the classroom and cleaning up
When I run workshops I usually cover the table with newspaper, as it absorbs spills and can be easily be disposed of by folding inwards and placing in the bin. Children are given boards (about 20x20 cm) to work on which are porous, so that the clay does not stick to them. ( Masonite, plywood, plaster board, particle board, mdf) Board is very cheap at the hardware store and can be very easily sawn.
A variety of tools can be used, ones specially made for ceramics, mixed with things such as forks, blunt knives, garlic crushers, rolling pins, gum nuts and seed pods, icy pole sticks and textures.
Slip is also good for joining things with, and also painting onto clay.
Health and Safety:
Clay dust is not good for your respiratory system. It is not good to eat either, as it may some bacteria in it.
Activity 1: Slab-built bowl with leaf textures
How to make the slab bowl, imprinting textures. What to use for a mould. Decoration with oxides
You will need:
Plastic bowls, cloths, leaves, textured material, rolling pins, oxides, soft paintbrushes. Water jars.
Roll out the clay about 1 cm thick (as thick as your pinkie)
Roll on textures
Place cloth over bowl, place clay slab over top of cloth and arrange into bowl.
Activity 2: rolling coils – coil made tree
Coils can be called sausages. Coils should be rolled with two hands and fingers splayed out to support the coil as you roll it. Coils can be joined together without slip if the clay is soft and the clay is blended over the join, otherwise, slip needs to be used.
Using slips and oxides to decorate.
Building with coils – bowls and houses.
Activity 3: dioramas. Installation activities
This session will explore ideas for group dioramas or installations where all the children will make a part of a larger artwork.
Activity 4: Low relief sculpture tiles or hanging plaques.
Methods of joining clay and building pictures on slabs.
Slabs should always be rolled out about 1cm thick and no thinner, so that they are strong. When demonstrating rolling a slab, it is very important to lift the slab after each attempt at rolling. Roll and lift, roll and lift. As when the slab is rolled it often sticks to the board, if children do not lift the slab, they will make rolling more difficult as they will only be dragging the top layer of clay across the board.
Change directions when rolling to get a more even slab.
They should be dried slowly, on their boards piled up about 4 high with a board on top of the top one.. A double sheet of newspaper on top of each work will protect it and aid with the drying.
Activity 5: Stamps and stamping,
making wind chimes. – Wind chimes, are a great activity. The children can try to make beads and bells and put a hole in them so that they can hang them. They can be decorated with white slip and alice blue underglaze, then they only need to be bisque fired. Or you can bisque fire them and then paint them.
Children also enjoy rolling out clay and cutting it with cookie cutters. They can use a knitting needle ( safer than skewers) to pierce a hole in the shape.
Other materials can be used in the wind-chime construction process, such as driftwood, raffia, buttons and shells.
Activity 6: Pinch pots
Decoration with decorating slip and blue underglazes – a useful combination that will give a good result for one firing.
How to make a pinch pot: make a ball of clay by cupping your clay from one hand to the other. Alternatively you may squeeze it into a ball shape or roll it.
Put your thumb in the middle like little Jack Horner did. Ideally the hole has to go in leaving a centimetre at the bottom. Begin to pinch the wall and turn the pot. Pinch and turn is an important refrain for making the children understand that it is a slow process of pinching and turning the pot until it becomes bigger and thinner.
For more information about clay products and processes please see the information sheets at Northcote pottery’s website. Just google Northcote pottery, open the website and on the left hand side choose the page - Tech tips/product info.
For information, tips and links to sites about using clay in the classroom, Debbie’s wikispace might be useful :http://ceramicsclass.wikispaces.com/
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