This month Currier students are building clay bells for the garden.
We made up a lot these...pinch pots and beads.
To stay organized, we dried and fired the beads right in the pinch pots.
Paint your pots and add a final coat of clear gloss to weather proof.
We string our beads and pots onto a cord so they don't get mixed up while they dry or in between coats, and add a masking tape label with our name.
Arrange your beads and bells. Secure each addition in place with an overhand knot.
Hang and enjoy.
Helpful Hint: Little kids can mold their pots in silicone cupcake forms (just like clay cupcakes).
These are the kind of projects that make me wish I had a kiln!
ReplyDeleteI wish you had a kiln too, Phyl, because then you'd be sharing a ton of great clay plans with us.
ReplyDeleteBut just think of all the paper mache tips we'd be missing if you did.
These look great! We've just added raised garden beds to our inside courtyard at school - wouldn't these be another great addition...
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool Nancy. The chimes would be a great addition. What are you going to plant in your garden?
ReplyDeleteI love these! What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, though - why did you decide to paint rather than glaze them?
Wonderful activity - I've never tried beads...
Cristy in WY
Good question Cristy.
ReplyDeleteIt's a long story, but in a nutshell--I'm still working some kinks out of the project. I haven't glazed and fired beads before, and didn't want to encounter a giant failure with the kids work.
I'll be doing a test fire on 18 gauge high temp Nichochrome wire this week. and I'll post the results because I strongly agree that glazing is really the way to go.