4th Grade Clay People

This week I was finally able to squeeze in clay people. My class schedule is really tight this year and I had to maneuver classes so 4th grade had enough time to work on clay. Clay projects are best done in one sitting because it is hard to store the clay for a week. Kids love this project but it can be a lot of work.

Materials:
Clay
Clay tools especially the a needle tool for etching
Bucket of water
Newspaper or a small white board
Toilet paper roll

A class before we work on the clay people, I have students sketch at least 3 ideas for clay people. I also show them how to construct the clay person so I do not have to explain as much and the students are able to work more.

I set up the buckets and baskets of tools before class and if I have time I will put the boards with pressed clay slabs and the toilet paper on the table as well. I have created a "cheat" sheet for the student to refer to as they work on their projects. I have included the sheet and will allow anyone to use it.

Once students have put together the basic body they are able to move on to figure details. I really make sure the students understand it is important there are no cracks around the area they have attached pieces of clay. I have had a lot of breakage when students did not secure their clay parts.I will ramp dry the clay in the kiln first to make sure that nothing breaks. I fire the clay in a kiln at cone 04 and at a slow speed. It usually take a good 48 hours for the clay to ready to taken out of the kiln.

The clay people can be painted with an underglaze, clear gazed coated and fired at cone 06 in the kiln for that glassy look. Another alternative is to spray paint the pieces with a flat black and then paint with acrylic paints. The black spray paint helps the color become more bold and bright.

This is a really wonderful project and the students look forward to 4th grade so they can create their clay person.