I worked on a project with 4 classes in Reception and Year 1 to make a mosaic. Each class was divided into two groups and I worked with each group for approximately one hour.
First, the children sculpted leaves, flowers and animals from sheets of clay and they also stamped clay into the bark of the tree, on the trunk and branches. Next, when the clay pieces had dried out, they were fired in the oven at 850 degrees. The children then painted the pieces with special coloured glazes for ceramics. Finally, the separate pieces went back into the oven and were fired at 1035 degrees. The children were lovely and they enjoyed working with clay. The younger children and some of the older boys also had fun with the clay when they cut different shapes, made various images such as dinosaurs and so on and they really played with it. Each child who worked on the project was able to make at least one fragment for the mosaic.
Marina Bartonova
Clay Artist