Ready for The Big Day

Finished up our clay Valentines last Thursday just in time for the big day.  Kids were thrilled to have a token to take home to give to a special some one.

No time for glazing.  I set out palettes of liquid watercolors to apply right onto the bisque.  You could also use box watercolors if you like

I have a couple bottles of glitter watercolor that added a little sparkle to the art though you can't really see it in the photos.

The paint dried very quickly and students finished them up with two coats of watered down glue to seal and add a little shine.

Finishing touch was to add a bit of ribbon for hanging.  There you have it...clay valentine.

Birthday Birds on Their Way

I love community artworks and artworks that celebrate community and am always on the lookout for activities that are fun for children to do and also help bring people together.  When I saw these birthday birds last year on the New City Arts Blog I loved it so much and knew right away I would implement something similar at my schools.  It took us a while to get started, but this year fifth and sixth graders created, and then glazed this massive number of birds.  Instead of taking their little creations home, they set them aside to give to students on their birthday this year.

Above you can see the birds fresh from their bisque fire.  

And here we are glazing them.

Here's a box of glazed birds fresh out of the kiln.

Initially I had hoped to share the birds with the whole school, but after considering more carefully decided to begin this new tradition with the older grades this year (4, 5, 6, 7, 8).  This way, we will have birds left over at the end of the year to celebrate with until a new batch can be made.  Next year we will extend the giving to include all our students.

We've already begun passing out our birds and the children are so excited to come up and choose their bird in their birthday week.  So thanks again to Shanna at New City Arts, one of my favorite art blogs.  Check it out.

In Progress--Clay Chime Update

 Major Kiln Failure Glazing Clay Beads. Eighteen gauge wire did not hold. Found wire, and beads, and charms fused together on kiln floor.  Very disappointed.

Managed to save all of the wire, some of the beads, and a few of the charms. Mixed what remained with some glass India beads I had on hand. Came up with six 24" strands of beads and bells.

Sound great because the tones vary. Look cool. I have a second set of beads ready to be bisque fired.  Figured out I really like the mix of ceramic and glass beads.  Narrowed down the glazes a little.  Going to double twist the wires and set the kiln up a little differently for this glazing.

Working on a hang tag. 

Clay Animals

First, kids watched this video that I found on Art Room Videos.
They modeled their choice four legged animals by pinching out the clay.  We had dogs, cats, elephants, a horse, and the lovely winged dragon above.
Here's a link to another clay building video that I use.  

More Clay Chimes

Spring time is clay time, and why should kids have all the fun?

I made a lot more clay beads and added some cookie cutter shapes into the mix.  The beads and charms will be strung into musical hanging chimes. I used low-fire white clay that I had on hand and bisque fired to cone 04 to drive the moisture out. Here's everything ready to be glazed.  

Glazing all those pieces is a big job. To make light of it I hosted a glazing party at the house and invited friends and family to stop by and help glaze. It was fun glazing and visiting around the kitchen table and by the end of the day everything was glazed and ready to be packed back to the kilm glazed with Amaco Opalescent Liquid Glazes. It is the first time I've use these glazes and I'm really excited to see how they turn out.  

Here are some glazed beads drying on skewers. 

 Kiva--Loans That Change Lives

Clay Chimes and Hanging Garden Sculptures

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).