130--Lesson Plans for Clay

Ages 5 and Up

Aims: To explore clay and realize its possibilities
To learn basic construction techniques
To learn how to teach clay to children

Vocabulary: three-dimensional
two-dimensional
texture
for older students: vessel

Day One Materials: self-hardening clay (no kiln necessary)
water
clay tools (plastic cutlery, sticks, pencils, etc.)
World's best art tools (hands!)
Day Two: Paint (acrylic or tempera)
brushes
water can
optional for tempera (acrylic varnish)

Procedure: Show your students how to make basic shapes (balls, pancakes & snakes).
Next, demonstrate how to make a PINCH POT. The clay should be moist but not gooey. Make a ball and put it on your thumb. Then put the other four fingers together to make a paddle and show them how to "Press and turn and press and turn and press and...etc." The opening gets bigger because the clay has nowhere else to go. When the pot reaches the shape they want lightly bang it on the table to flatten the bottom. The decoration can take many forms from patterns made with a fingernail to drawing to pressing many textures into the moist clay. Let dry. In the next class, students paint the clay. Sometimes it is best to paint a coat of white on first. When finished, a layer of varnish seals the surface and looks great. No eating or drinking out of these pots, by the way!

Another clay project is making a COIL POT. Students make snakes, also called coils (as above) and form vessels by coiling one level on top of another. To secure the coil, it is best to scratch, wet and stick both pieces they are attaching. I tell students to think of velcro. Clay will shrink when it dries, which is why attachments don't hold if they aren't done well. The surface of the coils may be smoothed out if students wish. Again, paint and varnish the pots.

Another construction technique is what I call PULLING OUT A FIGURE. This could be an animal or human. This method keeps the main shape intact so it doesn't fall apart. Students make a potato shape and simply coax out a head and four legs from it. A tail can also be pulled out. The figure can then be made to stand or not, as the case may be. They can cut open a mouth, pull out ears, scales, etc. Legs, by the way, should be a bit chunky, since otherwise it's hard to hold up the body. When dry, paint and varnish.

There are many other construction techniques such as SLAB construction (rolling out sheets and cutting into them to make tiles or thin slabs which can be used for boxes or cylinders).

Reflection: As always, share the work and talk about it in a positive way. Displaying sculpture in a case is a wonderful idea, if you have one in your school. Be sure to write a description of the assignment to accompany the exhibit.