Reclaiming clay - how-to?

Well, then, here's the link to my young students' work -
http://snipurl.com/g0ms

The projects from the spring session disappeared so fast that I didn't
get a chance to take shots of those.

The first project is always either a dug-out box or patchwork bowl.
This allows them to become familiar with the clay.

Some of the other projects we tackle a

Soft-slab cylinders
Hard-slab boxes
Pinch pots, bowls and enclosed forms
Wind chimes
Simple sculptures
Paddled pillow boxes

We do a lot of texturing. The patchwork bowls are nothing more than
highly textured slabs that are randomly torn apart (not cut, but torn)
and laid into a form (I use wooden bowls) then the inside smoothed over
and the "seams" sealed with a rubber rib, and feet added.

Colored slips and stains for resist patterns are really fun - I
encourage them to bring leaves or paper cut-outs to use. Roll the
leaves/cut-outs lightly into the slabs and 'paint' over with colored
slip then pull up whatever they used to resist it and slump it into a
form and add feet when it's firm enough to do so.

I give them the basics - we make specific projects but WHAT they choose
to do with what I've given them is up to them. For instance, a dug-out
box doesn't have to be square - this last session I had a volcano, a
wedge of cheese, a rhino with a bird on it's back, a lady-bug, a
pyramid, a set of kopechi dolls, a turtle - children are simply
amazing!

Elizabeth's box was a nice surprise - I hadn't shown them how to make
lids for their boxes - she figured it out on her own then added the
sprigs using a Sculpey push mold for all the faces.

We all enjoy ourselves and learn from each other. There's no greater
joy than when they come in early, go to the cupboard to get their tool
buckets and dive right in.

For the returning students, I ask them for a list of projects they want
to accomplish and provide the assistance when they run into a problem.


As for the glazing, they do all that themselves. That's when they
finally understand the ninth commandment in the document we have posted
all over the studio:

The Ten Commandments for Potters

1. Thou shalt NOT make dust.

2. Thou shalt NOT pick up greenware by the lip, handle or other fragile
area.

3. Thou shalt NOT touch projects that do not belong to thee.

4. Thou shalt put all supplies back WHERE THEY BELONG AND CLEAN THE
AREA (Refer to #1) before departing.

5. Thou shalt let stain dry thoroughly before glazing.

6. Thou shalt practice on the wheel at least once a week for more than
10 minutes.

7. Thou shalt CARVE THY INITIALS OR MARK in the bottom of thy projects.


8. Thou shalt place glazed ware in kiln room on the proper shelf.

9. Thou shalt believe thy teacher that the silly pink glaze or stain on
thy pot will fire blue.

10. Thou shalt trust thy teacher.

Hope this helps!

Take care,

Lori