Pottery for kids

[Christina14]

People are unaware of the significance of pottery. They ought to be required to teach their children. It's a great activity for your kids to do in their spare time.

[Hulk]

Significance, aye!
I keep coming back to this forum - having read the new postings, quite often there's food for thought and reflection.

There are more activities and such for kids than time to do them, seems to me; I'd promote music and sport, for example, over potting, however, we had also agreed to support ours interests, whatever they chose, given it wasn't destructive. Some of the things chosen - cartooning, several other drawing and painting classes; violin, as in progressing from one eighth size to full over ten years; guitar, four years, whilst keeping up that violin as well. I'll stop!
I wanted to make a big case for studying science, however, they weren't ever taken by it, nor what goes with (math and stuff). I'd transitioned to science for the last third of my career, but that's another story.

Oh, the link!
I wouldn't choose any of those units. For a play/explore session, a banding wheel, some clay and tools is a go go! Get comfortable, put on some music, make.

[LeeU]

I always advise parents to not "buy into" the kiddie wheels because they send the kids down the wrong path right from the start. My personal opinion---and many will disagree and have good counter arguments---is that miniature wheel kits are not the best way to introduce having fun with, and being creative with, clay. If a child is really interested, put the money into a decent banding wheel, as Hulk suggested (heavy metal, not plastic, and on a stem if affordable and age-appropriate). 

These pseudo miniature, or toy, wheels enable kids to skip over the basics for how to effectively handle clay (at any age). This is especially so if these are used at home with a parent who him/herself may know nothing about handling clay and throwing pots. They may support a "feel good" experience, but they send a misleading message that making pottery is so easy that no education/training/experience is needed to produce decent pots. This type of so-called wheel, with rare exception, just serves to dumb-down and actually devalue the craft and art of pottery making in our culture, instead of elevating it.

When I taught "Having Fun with Clay", to kids age 5-15, I made sure they got to actually handle clay in a variety of ways. They learned the basics and enjoyed making their chosen items with coil and pinch & other techniques. That kind of true hands-on experience, which can be done on a kitchen table with air-dry "clay", is far more valuable than using a mini wheel pretending to be something that it is not. 

 

[neilestrick]

5 hours ago, LeeU said:

My personal opinion---and many will disagree and have good counter arguments---is that miniature wheel kits are not the best way to introduce having fun with, and being creative with, clay.

Those mini toy wheels are worthless IMO. They will likely create more frustration than success. And without a good instructor they'll struggle even more. Put your kids in a park district or summer camp class instead, where they have quality equipment and instruction.

[Benzine]

What's "funny" is those cheap-o kids wheels will come up on auction sites, when searching for "potter's wheel"... Lots of them.