Clay Flowers in Pots- 2nd Grade

A decorated flowerpot with a vibrant orange sunflower and a star-shaped ornament crafted to resemble clay flowers.

This is a picture-heavy post!!

The 2nd graders reminded me that we had not done any clay this year yet! How could that be? So I decided to try this project that I come up with based on a clay flower in a pot that my sister-in-law has. I’m not sure where she got the flower but I think it was picked up at an art fair or something… We used regular firing clay, acrylic paints, beads, and a flower pot to construct our creation. Other things we used were wooden skewers, paint markers, styrofoam and fake grass.

1. Make beads with clay: roll out slabs and cut out your shapes. Poke a skewer through them to ensure they will fit on the stick. Fire and paint with acrylics. Next year, I am ordering a bead hanger for glazing, so they can be glazed beads.

Make a flower: roll out a slab and cut out the large flower. We did use cookie cutters for the flower shapes, but of course you can cut them out yourself.
We were pressed for time, so we wanted to work quickly.

Painted clay flowers on aluminum foil, featuring pink, blue, white, and yellow colors in various sizes and shapes. These charming creations would look lovely in small pots.

The flower needs to have a coil “handle” on the back so that the skewer can slip though it.

Clay flowers and round beads scattered on wax paper on a gray surface, resembling a delightful 2nd grade art project.

2. Cut a styrofoam ball small enough to fit in the bottom of a flower pot.

A hand holds a white foam object with newspaper and various craft materials in the background, alongside some colorful clay flowers.

3. Place the styrofoam in the flower pot.

Person holding a terracotta pot with a white ball of dough, another person's hand reaching for the pot.

4. Press a skewer into the styrofoam. Put fake grass in the pot to cover the styrofoam.

A hand holds a clay pot filled with green moss, with a wooden stick inserted in the center.

5. Paint the pot. You can do this at any step in the process.

A 2nd grade student painting a terra cotta pot with green paint at a table covered in newspaper and art supplies.

A hand holding a painted terracotta pot with a design of green stems and orange clay flowers under a blue sky.

6. Place the beads and the flower on the skewer. You can use a combination of the clay beads and pony beads or other commercial beads.

Hand stacking colorful clay flowers on a skewer, 2nd grade child at a table in background. Craft supplies on the table.

6. After you place the clay flower on, poke another fake flower into the pot for extra decoration.

A handmade clay flower in a decorated pot, placed on a table in a craft room with art supplies in the background.

A colorful clay flower arrangement in a decorated terracotta pot sits on a table in a craft room.

Fake flower on top!

Colorful clay beads stacked vertically in a pot with green moss.

We decorated the beads with paint markers!

Decorative potted plant with clay flowers in a pot placed on a table.

Clay flower pot decorated with small ladybug paintings on a light-colored table.

A handcrafted flower with gold and orange petals in a decorated pot, placed on a table with people working in the background, showcases the delicate art of clay flowers.

Close-up of a person holding a small, hand-painted ring.

Clay flowers and leaves arranged in a pot with green moss, held together by a wooden stick, create a whimsical charm.

Colorful handmade clay flowers with painted pots and various decorations placed on a table in an art studio.

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One Response to Clay Flowers in Pots- 2nd Grade

ElizabethM says:

August 9, 2012 at 11:56 pm

I love these! They are definitely on my must do list of ideas. Would be a great Mother's Day project. Thank you so much.
Elizabeth