Students create a clay rattle with clay beads. They choose an object for their rattle to resemble, something that is meaningful and worth celebrating. The finished rattle is then painted with acrylic paint.

Students choose a surreal image from a collection I curate and write a narrative about the piece. They can tackle this as if it’s a critique of the surreal artwork or go totally down the path of making up a story about the artwork. Students then decide if they want to make a sculptural or functional piece inspired by the image and narrative.

This project introduces kids to the concept of building with textured slabs and designing and creating a set of pieces that are unified by textures and focal accents throughout the set. Students will expand their already small but existing knowledge of working with slabs to include a plethora of options of forms and construction techniques.

For my advanced students: How do we get students to push their skills and techniques to the next level? Explore and experiment with advanced surface design skills.

The Eyeball Pinch Pot Project is my absolute go-to for beginner students. This project includes shaping, sculpting, attaching, and leaves room for creativity for overachievers. I use this project to embed critical knowledge in beginners so that they can go on to create bigger and better pieces!

Plan and design a hyper-realistic clay sculpture that convincingly mimics an object from everyday life.
Use hand-building techniques (e.g., coil building, slab construction, carving, applied texture) to achieve realistic forms and textures. Apply appropriate surface treatments to create convincing details.

Students can create a ceramic vessel using any method of construction and then finish the surface to illustrate a design using the sgraffito technique.

This project brings in literature with a story called Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg. After reading the story, students are inspired to make their own small clay person using pinch pot and sculpting techniques.

Students will create unique and personalized name tag using a 7” x 9” slab, transfer their name in a chosen font, divide it in half, and showcase contrast using high relief on one side and sunken relief on the other.

This lesson integrates language arts, visual arts, and drama combined together in the form of a puppet. Students will create a puppet based off a favorite book character of theirs. Once the puppet is complete, the class will watch a puppet show of their peers puppets being interviewed about who they are and what book they are from.

Students use pinch, slab, modeling, and combination handbuilding techniques to create animals with character. Students are encouraged to brainstorm a story about their animal, to help them decide what characteristics they want to embody in their piece.

Students learn about the history of board game player tokens, and build upon this inspiration to design their own ceramic game piece. This project allows for students to utilize coil, slab, and other ceramic hand-building techniques. Students also exercise choice through their game piece design.

Create a functional whistle out of clay using simple tools like popsicle sticks! This hands-on project explores shaping, carving, and airflow mechanics to produce sound. Perfect for all skill levels, it’s a fun way to blend creativity with basic physics.

The Coil Pot Experimentation Challenge is designed to provide students with a dynamic and engaging experience in ceramic art, fostering creativity, collaboration, and technical skill development. This challenge aligns with the principles of experiential learning, allowing students to explore the versatile medium of clay.

Create a unique bowl using the coil method, where texture and design take center stage. The exterior showcases a decorative coil pattern, while the inside remains smooth for a functional finish. This project blends creativity with traditional hand-building techniques for a one-of-a-kind piece.

Ever wanted to make a functional mug without using the wheel? With the slab method, you can hand-build a unique and personalized mug from clay. This technique allows for endless creative possibilities while making a sturdy, usable piece of pottery.