Home » Clay In The Classroom Part 1

Clay in the Classroom Part I

Want to get clay into your curriculum but need a little help? Take some time for your own creativity. Learn how to buy clay and glazes, necessary tools, resources, basic clay hand-building techniques (pinch, slab, and coil), clay coloring information (glaze and other media), plus kiln loading and firing techniques. Choose your own projects to create at this workshop. The main objective of this workshop will be to give you the technical skills and information that will enable you to incorporate clay into the K-12 curriculum as a valuable interdisciplinary medium.

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus a 3 hour class on another day (chosen by group).

Date: What day is convenient for you?

Registration Fee: 9-hour workshop is $360 plus a $35 materials fee, which includes an extensive handout, clay that you use in the workshop, and 1 bisque firing. Total: $395.

Workshop size: Maximum of 4 participants per workshop. Private classes are available for $50 an hour.

Teacher testimonial: After 23 years of teaching art, Rena's workshop gave me a new approach of working with clay. A true learning experience. I only encourage more teachers to learn new concepts we did not learn as students in college. What fun!!!! 

Topics covered in the first part of workshop (6 hours):

  • How to wedge clay
  • Demonstrations of pinch, slab, and coil hand-building methods. Then you will get hands-on experience with all three methods.
  • How to attach one piece of clay to another
  • Necessary pottery tools, materials, and resources (catalogues, stores, ceramics organizations, magazines, books, websites)
  • Clay information (what is clay, kinds of clay, colors of clay, how to buy clay) and glossary of basic pottery terms
  • Sample project ideas

Topics covered in the second part of workshop (3 hours—you will receive your fired art work that you made in the first part of workshop)

  • What is glaze and how to buy it (different types of glaze, different application methods, and different firing techniques will be shown)
  • Glaze brushing technique will be demonstrated
  • Information about how to color clay without using a kiln
  • How to stack a kiln and basic kiln firing schedules for bisque and glaze firing