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Clay Projects for Kids

Hello!  Today I am going to catch up on some of the clay projects my students have been working on.  The last few weeks we have been busy learning clay techniques, building and glazing.  We weren’t able to use regular clay for the past year since the kiln was out of commission, so my students were itching to work with clay!

The 5th/6th grade classes made Clay Castles.

We connected a clay unit to their study of the Middle Ages.  In social studies class they have been studying the Medieval Period.  The kids learned about clay building techniques including rolling slabs, making coils, securing and attaching parts and painting with clay glazes.

Explore these ceramic castle sculptures. Two ceramic sculptures: a dark red castle with crenellations and a small gray house with a brown roof on a green base. Two ceramic castle models: one with blue cone towers and pink walls, the other in grey with a detailed, crenellated top.

The 4th graders made Clay Bobble Heads.

I found this idea on the Art Teacher Facebook group.  They learned how to make pinch pot heads and bodies from slabs.  They were painted with acrylic paints.  Aren’t they totally adorable?

Two colorful clay figures: one green and yellow character with outstretched arms, and one blue character resembling a unicorn. These are three clay animal figurines—a blue unicorn, a beige dog, and a black and white cat. Three clay figures: a red bear, an orange cat with green eyes, and a BB-8 droid from Star Wars. Three clay dog sculptures, each painted differently: one black and white, one brown, and one yellow.

The 3rd graders made Clay Masks.

They have been learning about Africa in their Social Studies class.  We looked at a variety of African masks and discussed the characteristics and meanings of this art form.  The kids then drew their own masks.  After drawing their design, they made masks from clay by rolling slabs, cutting out parts and attaching the parts.  Masks were painted with acrylic paints.

Two handmade masks: one resembling a gold and black cat, the other a face with a red feather on top and black hair. Three colorful handmade masks: one brown with blue and yellow, one green with a hat, and one black with gold accents. Three colorful, abstract clay masks with unique designs crafted by children on a white background. Three colorful, hand-painted masks with abstract designs and textured features displayed on a plain background.A colorful, abstract mask resembling a horse with blue, green, and gold accents hangs on a white wall.


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About Marcia Beckett

Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.

One Response to Clay Projects for Kids

  1. athglitter says:

    Love these clay projects! I make bobbleheads with my 2nd graders, and they always turn out so adorable. I never would have thought to make the bodies out of slabs (we make ours out of pinch pots). What a great idea to introduce two different hand building techniques.

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  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.