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Pottery

Success Zone / Meadows -
2026 Spring

Discover the world through clay! Students will set off on a hands-on tour of global ceramic traditions while mastering sculpting and painting skills using both hand-building and the pottery wheel. Each class is an adventure—young claymakers pinch, coil, and shape their creations as they "stamp" their passports through time and place. From dragons to tiles, amulets to pots, every project sparks imagination and creativity. Dive into vibrant art-making that builds fine motor skills, cultural awareness, and a love of learning!

Project Description Objectives
Lesson 1: Native American Pinchpot Students make a pinchpot, learn rolling & pinching techniques, and explore how this piece was used by Native Americans and around the ancient world. 1. Use palms to roll a ball of clay and fingers and thumb to pinch clay walls. 2. Identify styles and uses of Native American pottery. 3. Sculpt a pinch pot.
Lesson 2: Egyptian Scarab Beetle Amulets Students make an amulet, learn flattening & carving techniques, and explore how art can have religious and cultural meaning. 1. Flatten clay using tools and hands and carve into a clay slab. 2. Discuss the cultural significance of beetles in Egypt and analyze their symbolic meaning in art. 3. Sculpt an amulet with a beetle in the Egyptian style.
Lesson 3: Intro to Painting & the Pottery Wheel Students paint their pottery, learn to paint using multiple coats and patterns, and discover the history of painting pottery. Each student is given the opportunity to create an experimental piece on the wheel, and they learn about the history of the pottery wheel in the Near East and around the world. 1. Create a pattern with paint using contrast and repetition. 2. Paint their pottery pieces with multiple coats. 3. Use the potter’s wheel safely and implement basic wheel strategies to raise a piece.
Lesson 4: Burkina Faso Coil Pot Students make a coil pot, learn snaking & coiling techniques, and explore the practical uses of coil pots in Western Africa. 1. Discuss the creation and uses of coil pots in Burkina Faso and other parts of Western Africa. 2. Make a durable snake of clay by rolling and estimating its thickness and length. 3. Sculpt a coil pot.
Lesson 5: Mexican Sun Faces Students make a sun face, learn slipping & scoring techniques, and explore folk art traditions. 1. Attach pieces of clay to a base using slipping and scoring techniques. 2. Define folk art, identify common traditions, and examine its significance in Mexico and other regions. 3. Sculpt a sun that resembles the traditional Aztec piece.
Lesson 6: Painting Colors & Pottery Wheel Bowl Shape Students paint their pottery, learn about color theory and mixing colors, and explore the cultural significance of colors. Students experiment with making a bowl-shaped figure on the wheel. Note: Students cannot drink or eat from their pottery creation. 1. Define primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and use paints to mix them. 2. Explain the personal and cultural significance of colors. 3. Throw a pottery piece on the potter’s wheel, using pulling strategies to form a bowl shape.
Lesson 7: Portuguese Azulejos Students make a tile, learn to slap clay into a square, and explore the decorative and storytelling power of ceramics. 1. Use hands and tools to form a clay slab in a square. 2. Examine humans’ long history of using carving to create narratives in Europe and around the world. 3. Carve a personally significant object into a tile in the azulejo style.
Lesson 8: Indian Rimmed Dish Students make a flat dish, learn pulling & rim-making techniques, and explore the symbolism of natural objects in South Asia. 1. Pull the sides of a plate to create a rim. 2. Explain the symbolic value of natural objects (leaves, lotus flowers, vines, etc.) in India and elsewhere in South Asia. 3. Create a round plate with a rim that imitates an Indian-style dish.
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Map/Locations
Locations
Meadows Elementary
12037 Pender Ln
Meadows Place, TX 77477
SZ-ME-8

  Nexplore

Meadows Elementary
Thursdays, Feb 26 - Apr 23
3:45 - 4:45 PM

  No Class Mar 19

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Grades   2nd - 5th
$ 240.00
for 8 weeks