Feb 7, 2011

What Would You Do… With a Pinch Pot?

Where you singing the Klondike Bar song? I was! In Kindergarten my students make pinch pots. Simple pinch pots when we learn about China. I call them Chinese Tea Cups. However, in 1st grade, students get a little more creative with pinch pots. I let each class make something different out of a pinch pot. This helped me to try out new ideas. There are so many I couldn’t choose. My four 1st grade classes made the following four projects out of a pinch pot:

Pinch Pot Fish

Pinch Pot Rattles

Pinch Pot Turtles

Pinch Pot Bird’s Nests

One of my 1st grade groups ended up with an extra day to work with clay. I decided to get all Reggio on them, and let each student make whatever they wanted out of a pinch pot. I gave them many ideas and let them go. That was big for me to let go of the control and see what creative things could surface. I was confident that I had taught them the basic skills and could now see how they could apply those skills. Here are some of the things the kids came up with on their own with a pinch pot. I am, and was, very impressed. Raise the Bar- The kids will meet your standard! Amazing!

Pinch Pot Birthday Cake

Pinch Pot Dinosaur

Pinch Pot Cat (with broken ear)

Pinch Pot Turkey-Vulture Creature (I think….)

Pinch Pot Fish (larger version)

Pinch Pot Mug Set

So…. ”What do YOU do…… With a Pinch Pot?”

http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.com Art Project Girl

I love this. It would even be fun to do with the older kids for an extra clay project. I love that the kids get so many choices for glazes! That’s phenomenal. I have to scrap by with one or two colors for each project because of set up and lack of glaze. . . the stuff is expensive. Do you put every color out at every table?
http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.com Art Project Girl

I love this. It would even be fun to do with the older kids for an extra clay project. I love that the kids get so many choices for glazes! That’s phenomenal. I have to scrape by with one or two colors for each project because of set up and lack of glaze. . . the stuff is expensive. Do you put every color out at every table?
- http://theartofeducation.wordpress.com Jessica Balsley
  
  Hey Erica! I bought the Speedball Glaze multi pack. You get a jar of all the basic colors. I put the red glaze at the red table, etc, etc. Kids get to go to the station of the color they want. Lots of movement, but within a structure, and it works for me. Brushes stay at each color so they don’t mix. The set was not that expensive and they are thick. You can water them down and make them go far.
Priscilla

I love this idea – and the creative freedom it gives the students :)
That first fish is so fun – I love those big eyes!
http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.com Art Project Girl

I never thought to put the glazes out like that! Makes much more sense. I will do that next time for more variety. Plus they definitely need to move. Did you write a shout out??? Can’t see it but thanks if you did:) I’ll check it out tomorrow.
http://minimatisse.blogspot.com Nic

GREAT idea’s for pinch pots. I was just thinking of your blog the other day and thought, I haven’t stopped in lately. Thanks for commenting on MiniMatisse!
matt

cool