Push Pots
July 22, 2001
Session One, Class Three

With eyes closed boys turn their clay into small pots

Lesson Plan: To explore push pots in clay. We began with establishing a group rhythm to allow the parents, children and staff to synchronize their time.

They come from their morning activities and follow the rhythm set by Denise which brings everyone together. First, a single clap, space, then two claps, space, then three claps, space, then Denise spoke her name in the space. We went around the circle and spoke all the names.

Erin concentrates on her pinch pot

Then Lee began the class, while Denise unveiled the clay mound in the center of the circle. Today we worked with the idea of pushing the clay and everyone took turns at pushing the mound using fingers, thumbs, hands, feet and elbows! The children were encouraged to circle the emerging sculpture before adding to it to see the hidden perspectives. Today's exercise was to make it into a ball with their eyes closed so they could feel the roundness with their hands.

Clay lady, Lee Perry, admires the children's work

 
They focused their attention with delight on this process. Then they were shown how to push a finger into the ball and open it, turning the ball into a pushpot! They then took their pushpot and added it to the group structure. Each child made several of these. Soon the sculpture took on an amazing shape that the children labeled "a fountain, flowers and cups."

We decided to save the sculpture

 

We knew we had something good here and told the children that we would let it dry completely and then fire it in our hot kiln!

Lee Perry
Denise Wey