shawnhar 170 Report post Posted January 8 I have been asked by a troop leader if i would teach a pottery class for a group of high school girl scouts, the equivalent of eagle scouts. It's for a specific badge/award. Have any of you done this before? I am a little hesitant since I just started in March and don't have the confidence of a seasoned potter, do I need to be? The studio I go to said I could do it there so logistics is not an issue (other than my day job might get in the way). I also could not find any pottery related info on the girl scouts website. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Callie Beller Diesel 1,324 Report post Posted January 8 The USA branch of the Boy Scouts is finally allowing girls to become Eagle Scouts, starting this year. Here’s the pottery badge requirements I found on their website.https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/Merit_Badge_ReqandRes/Pottery.pdf It seems like they want them to take a pretty nice beginner class that touches on all the basics. I would venture that if you feel that have a few gaps in your knowledge base, you could probably tap a friend to help fill them in, but it looks doable. Edited to add: keep in mind that you know more about pottery than someone who’s never done it before. There will always be someone that knows more than you do, and someone who knows less. Teaching others can help reinforce your own skills. also added: the Girl Scouts do have a pottery badge, but it’s for the Brownies, and the description seems like making a pinch pot might cover it. It might be a good idea to clarify with the troop leader what the requirements are. 2 Gabby and glazenerd reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawnhar 170 Report post Posted January 8 Thanks Callie! That file was exactly what I was looking for, didn't think to look at the "boy" scouts site, lol. I am sure they are not looking to make a pinch pot, the more advanced project is what she is looking to do. One thing I found interesting was the "b. Tell how three different kinds of potter’s wheels work". That seems odd, hmmmm... electric, kick and.... what else is there? Is there some kind of wheel I am not aware of? I can handle most of the things listed in that doc except the sculptural part, and explaining what makes a good clay body for throwing vs. sculpture, other than more grog helps maintain shape/prevent cracking for sculpting, same principle behind why concrete with no aggregate will crack. (I assume) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liambesaw 556 Report post Posted January 9 Electric, kick, treadle Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Callie Beller Diesel 1,324 Report post Posted January 9 1 hour ago, shawnhar said: a good clay body for throwing vs. sculpture, other than more grog helps maintain shape/prevent cracking for sculpting, same principle behind why concrete with no aggregate will crack. (I assume) Good analogy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeeU 773 Report post Posted January 9 9 minutes ago, liambesaw said: treadle Knew I'd find a repurpose for that antique Singer sewing machine one of these days! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liambesaw 556 Report post Posted January 9 Just now, LeeU said: Knew I'd find a repurpose for that antique Singer sewing machine one of these days! I want a treadle wheel, I just don't have room for one, they're HUGE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeeU 773 Report post Posted January 9 (edited) 4 hours ago, shawnhar said: pottery class for a group of high school girl scouts, the equivalent of eagle scouts. It's for a specific badge/award I was sure I had a pottery badge, so my nostalgia kicked in and I dragged out my Girl Scout sash fron the '50's-60's. Memory is a bit shot. See if you can find what I thought was pottery...hint...I finally remembered it was for basket making. Oh well! Gotta say, the old patches are way better looking than what they have today. If you get a copy of the new girl scout pottery badge, please post it-couldn't find it online. Hope you do provide the class-they will be very fortunate scouts!! I did a summer pottery class for an all-girls prep school/middle school years, when my daughter was there, and it was an absolute blast! Edited January 9 by LeeU Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C.Banks 96 Report post Posted January 9 (edited) 14 hours ago, shawnhar said: "b. Tell how three different kinds of potter’s wheels work". electric, fly-wheel (stick, kick, treadle), lackey/assistant powered? Almost forgot the often overlooked Captain Ceramics 864hp, ceramethane powered, X series Edited January 9 by C.Banks 2 shawnhar and Callie Beller Diesel reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark C. 3,106 Report post Posted January 9 4 hours ago, liambesaw said: Electric, kick, treadle You forgot stick powered Japanese wheel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawnhar 170 Report post Posted January 9 Ha! I just saw a video of that stick wheel with Shoji Hamada, yikes! Treadle must be the third wheel, not sure I'd consider it a different kind, it's just a kick wheel with an attachment right?, the same way a kick wheel with a motor bolted to it does not become an electric wheel, it's still a kick wheel with a motor on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Callie Beller Diesel 1,324 Report post Posted January 9 This is a Leach treadle wheel. Instead of using your foot on the flywheel and just kicking it, you work the treadle arm. edit: the flywheel on these are quite heavy, which leads to the wheel holding a lot more inertia. Stopping this sucker with your sneakers is going to eat a lot of sneakers. 1 shawnhar reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liambesaw 556 Report post Posted January 9 1 hour ago, shawnhar said: Ha! I just saw a video of that stick wheel with Shoji Hamada, yikes! Treadle must be the third wheel, not sure I'd consider it a different kind, it's just a kick wheel with an attachment right?, the same way a kick wheel with a motor bolted to it does not become an electric wheel, it's still a kick wheel with a motor on it. I guess you could kick one if you really wanted, but I don't consider treadle to be a kick wheel, it just uses a heavy flywheel similar to a kick wheel. If you started kicking it, it would kick you back 1 shawnhar reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glazenerd 1,330 Report post Posted January 9 On January 8, 2019 at 3:47 PM, shawnhar said: I can handle most of the things listed in that doc except the sculptural part, and explaining what makes a good clay body for throwing vs. sculpture, other than more grog helps maintain shape/prevent cracking for sculpting, same principle behind why concrete with no aggregate will crack. (I assume) Do you want a paragraph or thesis on this? 1 shawnhar reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neilestrick 2,670 Report post Posted January 10 I do a lot of Girl Scout workshops. I cover what I cover, and leave the rest up to them to finish on their own. They've done a lot of it at school already, like pinch pots. I offer workshops for one or two visits. If they do just one visit, we talk about how the kilns work, where clay comes from and how clay bodies are mixed, and what glazes are made of. Then they each make a pot on the wheel, and they pick a glaze color that I will apply for them after the pieces are bisqued. If they do two visits, we cover all that stuff, plus make a patterned coil bowl, paint their wheel thrown pieces with underglaze, and talk about being a working artist. They can research different types of wheels, etc, on their own. Your job is to get their hands dirty. Don't overthink it, or feel like you have to cover everything. You don't have that much time with them. Most troop leaders are pretty laid back about the requirements, and are just super excited that the girls get to use the wheels. 2 Gabby and shawnhar reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawnhar 170 Report post Posted January 10 1 hour ago, glazenerd said: Do you want a paragraph or thesis on this? Thesis! Dissertation! Diatribe! I am happy to receive whatever knowledge you are willing to impart. In my spare time I've been known to watch physics lectures from MIT. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawnhar 170 Report post Posted January 10 22 hours ago, C.Banks said: electric, fly-wheel (stick, kick, treadle), lackey/assistant powered? Almost forgot the often overlooked Captain Ceramics 864hp, ceramethane powered, X series Wow.... Captain Ceramics... I think the best part was the PBR sitting on the table! 1 dhPotter reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glazenerd 1,330 Report post Posted January 10 I will post some info in another week or so; should give you a guide to clay properties. T 1 shawnhar reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chilly 579 Report post Posted January 10 As an ex scout leader, whatever you can cover will be way more than the leaders can do without your help. I've run pottery sessions with 6-11 and 13-18 year olds, and like all groups, some will pick it up really quick, others won't be interested. Just get as many as you can to get their hands dirty, and ensure there is something for them all to take home next week/month. As others have said, don't overthink it too much, but don't promise the leaders more than you are happy to cover. Enjoy 1 Magnolia Mud Research reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pres 1,627 Report post Posted January 12 I imagine that question could be answered in lots of ways, Kick, Motorized kick, Geared direct drive electric, best drive electric, cone drive electric, Treadle and stick, and Two person manual drive wheel(Egyptian wheel that used a person in a hole below the whee to turn the stem). best, Pres Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glazenerd 1,330 Report post Posted January 19 Shawn: today is the 19th, so I can contractually answer your question Originally published in February 2019 issue of Ceramics Monthly, pages 66,67, & 68. http://www.ceramicsmonthly.org . Copyright, The American Ceramic Society. Reprinted with permission." Techno File: Clay Body Shopping plenty of info on clay properties. Tom 2 Callie Beller Diesel and shawnhar reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark C. 3,106 Report post Posted January 22 Tom that was a good read on your current article. Thanks for posting the link as well for others Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glazenerd 1,330 Report post Posted January 22 TY Mark: i have to give credit to Holly Goring at CM. She started editing this article back in august or so. I think her favorite email response was " chemistry heavy." She did an excellent job of organizing my randomness. https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/ceramics-monthly/ceramic-supplies/ceramic-raw-materials/techno-file-clay-body-shopping/# this link will take you directly to it. Tom Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
