I have arrived at the Peninsula Art School in Door County, Wisconsin early this afternoon to teach a ceramics class for 6-8 year old kids. This week's projects include mobiles, necklaces, slump mold bowls, monster mugs, and gnome homes. Students are asked to bring their imaginations to class as we practice hand building techniques and making textures in clay to construct our multitude of projects.
I had a full class, which means 12 students. (I wish that was a full class in schools too! My oh my, what we could accomplish!) We began class with introductions and then discussing what the kids already know about clay. Even though this is a summer class, I consider it my personal goal to make my classes a "meaty" and meaningful as possible; especially in the summer. I showed the students how to roll out the clay with rolling pins and use a variety of tools to create 15 or more bead-like pieces which we will string into necklaces and mobiles. We decided a nature theme was helpful in trying to figure out what kind of pieces to make.
After a short break, we began our slump/hump mold bowls. To help us with ideas, I showed pictures of Dale Chihuly's glass artwork and we talk about the differences between organic and geometric forms. Kids were able to talk about all the things they noticed and liked about Dale Chihuly's sculptures. For me, this is one of the best parts of teaching kids; they notice things and describe things about art that most adults don't notice. Students rolled out some clay and and drew patterns and designs on one side, and then gently draped the sheet of clay over a container to create an interesting organic form. We decorated the outsides with different patterns and set them out to dry.
Tomorrow, we will be painting our mobile/necklace pieces and building gnome homes. Stay tuned for more details.
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