The Rivers Class has been exploring clay. Beginning in December with experimentation, we saw that strong gripping muscles were needed for pulling a handful of clay from the large block. We explored how clay can be squeezed, pressed, and manipulated with fingers, palms, fists, and even elbows!
Since January, we have practiced handling techniques for shaping coils (which quickly became...
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| bagels and... |
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| spider legs), |
balls (nest eggs),
and slabs (cookies, burgers, wheels, and cakes).
While children found coils to be easy and delightful to produce, balls proved more challenging. Students who gained expertise shared their strategies: "Be careful, and keep going." "You have to do it gently. You go round and round."
Rivers Class students enjoy interacting at the clay table, whether it be for collaboration in a joint project or individual works around a shared theme. They frequently request input ("How did you make it stand up?") and request peer review ("Is this good?"). The challenge of using all three basic shapes in one sculpture was taken up with enthusiasm!
