Andrew H.Lentini on thu 19 nov 98
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owner-clayart=40LSV.UKY.EDU wrote:
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I am interested in others' technique to teaching children....ages 10 to
14...to throw on the wheel.
Summer before last, I started a pottery program at YMCA Camp Thunderbird in
Lake Wylie, SC. Teaching the wheel to 7 to 17 year olds was part of the
program. The main points I found necessary to keep =22drilling=22 into the =
kids
were the same ones you probably heard when you first tried using the wheel.
Anchor yourself, make sure your elbow isn't moving, use your finger to see =
if
the piece of clay is centered before opening it up, let the clay make a full
rotation before raising the point of pressure between your fingers, don't =
jump
off of the clay suddenly, use your needle tool as a depth gauge, you know =
what
I am getting at. I found that teaching the wheel to kids was pretty much =
the
same as teaching to adults. (maybe with the exception of a lack of fine =
motor
skills by the litle ones-though some results were surprising, some were just
plain messy). I found that breaking down the basic steps of making a pot on
the wheel and listing them on a piece of posterboard and putting it on the
wall was also helpful. One of the main things was just making sure that the
kids really understood the concepts I was talking about. (what centered is,
how the points of pressure help to raise the walls, what =22keep your elbow =
from
moving=22 really means, etc...) It was wierd...some of them got it almost
immediatly, and some never did. Regardless, all got an appreciation of what
pottery is, and I always hope that the next time they go into Lowe's or Home
Depot's garden section and see all those strawberry pots they think back to
when they tried to make a pot. I realized that while a product to be proud =
of
was worth striving for, an appreciation of what goes into making that =
product
is just as, if not more important, especially in the long run. have fun, =
hope
this helps, Andrew Lentini, Savannah, Ga.
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