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Timing ? 3Rd Grade Project?


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To you teachers,

I am going to help a brownie troop of 18 3rd graders earn their pottery badge. 

They have an hour and 15 mins. for the meeting. Do you know, from your

experience, if they will need more than an hour to make a simple slab cup

and a fish shaped tile and paint them? I will provide them with the rolled out

slabs and maybe some fish templates.

 

When my kids were little and I did their brownie troops,

I think that kids took a lot less time to do projects than I figured.

But it's been a long time and I just don't remember. 

I hate to schedule 2 meetings and have them sitting there.

 

Thank you.

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when kids come to my studio I usually start them with a pinch pot.  sometimes it takes a few times to create a slab cup with the joining being the most difficult.  however 3rd grade is much older than the kids that stop by.  they can get very creative with a pinch pot, making a heart or star bowl.  they could ever make a tile that way.

 

however that has been my experience.

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Kids are great learners . . . and imitators. Demo the cup and plate to them and they will make them in short order. They key is kid:adult ratio. 18 is too many to handle by yourself; you'll need adult help -- mostly because you can't be every where at once. Been there; done that.

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Karen,
With 18, I would suggest the simpler-the-better.  I did a project with nine 3rd graders and forgot to get my 'squeal' immunization ahead of time :P.  Before starting on a project, the girls were shown the mixers, the wedging table, the wheel, drying area, glaze containers, and kilns...just as a walk-thru on the steps to make a pot. My favorite question, "How come you can't do it on the breakfast table and just pop it in the oven?"

 

In preparation for the 'nine', I made 6" tiles, laid them out into a 3x3 square.  On a sheet of newsprint the size of the 3x3 tile lay out,  I sketched out a globe with a rough outline of all the continents, then cut it out into 6" squares.  The girls each took a tile and a piece of the 'puzzle' and were shown how to transfer the design to the tile,  add texture, stamping, loop-cutting, and adding tiny bead-balls to cover the line work of the design.  They were not told ahead of time that the puzzle pieces worked together.  It took most of the girls about 30-40 minutes (with some reminding of their leader that it wasn't a race).  Once finished, I then assembled the tile puzzle in front of them with about a 5 minute object lesson on how working together can make the world a better place...that's where the squeel happened when they saw they had created a 'world'.

 

The next 30 minutes was all 'pinch pot', using  two colors of clay and their newly acquired texturing skills to decorate their pots.  I think all of them had made a pinch pot before. I pulled out a tray of letter-type stamps, and using those on the pinch pots took the remainder of the time.

 

Just a few of the girls returned after the bisque firing and added stains and glaze (that worked out very well). The tiles were then glaze-fired, assembled on a board, framed, and presented to the leader at Christmas...'wish I had a picture, it worked out pretty well.

 

Best of luck with your project!,

-Paul

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I agree with bciskepottery about the demo - this will make the whole thing go much more smoothly. And yes - 18 is a large group on your own - I'd suggest you get the leaders on board, make sure they watch the demo and then share the group out among the adults. I would also add that In my experience you'll probably spend more time in preparation and clearing up, than it takes for the session! But do try to get get work fired and finished as quickly as possible, so that they aren't waiting weeks before seeing the final pieces. MOST IMPORTANT TIP - make sure they all name their work on the bottom! (Or quicker for adults to carve initials) The children get very blasé about this, however many times you say it, they're sure they'll remember their own piece when it comes back, but all too often in my experience, they all looked very similar and the children couldn't tell which was theirs after all!

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Some will take twice as long as you think, and others will do it in half the time.  Much depends on their level of interest, perfectionism and patience. 

 

I ran some after school classes with years 3-6 and was amazed at how different they all were.

 

Have something extra to do for those who rush through it.  No matter how much you "practice" the timings, there is no substitute for real children.

 

Be well prepared, and enjoy :)

 

As said above, the clearing up will take you longer than the session.  One of the schools I taught in had a purpose-built art room.  I allowed the children to get messy and clearing up took me ages.  The next school I took on, we did pottery in a normal classroom, with carpets on the floor.  I used all my "classroom control" skills and didn't allow the same mess.  We still made good pots and had fun, but clearing up took much less time.

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Simplify. Cut the bottom out of a paper coffee cup, cut the side straight down. Use one of these opened out flat to make a template. Scan & print enough for everyone. Do the same cuts on enough cups for everyone, but the tape the straight seam on inside of cup. Have the girls cut out their temoates carefully, lay on the slab cutting it out. Slab around taped cup while cup is upside down. If the edge lines are beveled when cutting out - smooth seam, score and slip. Fix accidents, have them deorate. Put remainder of slab joined to the bottom while still upside down with S&S. Tap with paddle. Trim to fit. Should take 40 min. Do tile decoration. When the pieces get cheese hard take off tape and remove paper cup.

I used to do puzzle pieces too. I would take anea B&W poster-line drawing. Enlarge and give each kid apiece to fit the tile. They would decorate with lines from piece then underglaze or texture. You should have time to do the slab.

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Simplify. Cut the bottom out of a paper coffee cup, cut the side straight down. Use one of these opened out flat to make a template. Scan & print enough for everyone. Do the same cuts on enough cups for everyone, but the tape the straight seam on inside of cup. Have the girls cut out their temoates carefully, lay on the slab cutting it out. Slab around taped cup while cup is upside down. If the edge lines are beveled when cutting out - smooth seam, score and slip. Fix accidents, have them deorate. Put remainder of slab joined to the bottom while still upside down with S&S. Tap with paddle. Trim to fit. Should take 40 min. Do tile decoration. When the pieces get cheese hard take off tape and remove paper cup.

I used to do puzzle pieces too. I would take anea B&W poster-line drawing. Enlarge and give each kid apiece to fit the tile. They would decorate with lines from piece then underglaze or texture. You should have time to do the slab.

Love it!  

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The key is kid:adult ratio. 18 is too many to handle by yourself

Tell my Guidance Office that.....

 

The last two terms, my Ceramics classes have both been over 25. Four wheels, one kiln, two hand held clay extruders.

 

EEkk that's pushing the occy health and safety limit for a practical subject!!!  Take time to dream Benzine, do you have a meditation room handy?

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25 Ceramics ones, 4-5 Ceramics 2's in one class-two adjoining rooms! 6 wheels, 2 extruders, one slab roller, a Walker pug, 2 kilns, 2 hand held extruders, Wet cabinet, 2 dry cabinets, ware cart, 2 Downdraft tables, and a Bailey filtration system. Not to mention 20-30 5 gal glaze buckets, sink and kiln fan. 

 

Yes 18 is high, but in public education when the guidance says 25, you usually don't have any say. However, I did get them(Principals) to limit to 20 Ceramics ones when they saw us rolling out slabs with slab rollers in the hall because the large square workbench tops (6) would only logistically handle 4. They tried to figure out a way to get in an extra table, but it would not work. This way the twos could cram around a single table if all working on pieces they had pieces that required assembly (teapots).

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Slab roller, pfffff. I've got enough slats and rolling pins to go around....

 

I'd like to get a wall mounted extruder, but space and funding are tight. I only had one hand extruder for the past two years. Sadly, the plastic plunger head keeps cracking on both. They just can't handle the wear and tear, a high school classroom creates, unlike a good wall mounted extruder.

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Oh, Ben I had 18 32" rolling pins with two thicknesses of slats 1/4 and 3/8. but then that was hand tools stuff. 

 

I used hand extruders also, and got tired of parts bending and breaking up. You may be interested in building a PVC wall job, there are plans out there for them. Either that or make a raid on your district wood or metal shop if they still have one. They may be able to weld you up a pipe model to put on the end of a table. Look at the early Amaco types for a model.

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Yeah Pres, the hand extruders haven't fared well, and they are only a few years old. 

 

The homemade PVC extruder is a good idea.  Bailey was supposed to be releasing one, but haven't thus far.  I'd honestly like to get a Scott Creek extruder.  Those things work very well.

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I remember seeing that bottom one on here before.  Very clever.  I didn't see, if he said how much it cost him in total?  That may be a summer project for me.  Though I'll have to find a way to table mount it.  Wall space is a luxury in my classroom.

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