Cheryl L Litman on thu 27 aug 98
Just finished glazing pottery with a bunch of kids, showed them the raw
glaze, told them we would paint the glaze on the pieces, showed them the
kiln, told them it was like a giant oven and that after they painted the
pottery I'd put it in the kiln (which we went and looked at). Said that
when their pottery got heated up very hot in the kiln it would come out
shiny the next day and I showed them finished glazed pieces in the colors
we were going to use. We compared the colors of the glaze in the bucket
vs the fired pieces and talked how the heat changes the glaze and makes
it like a coating of glass on the clay. After class half of them walked
out with their freshly glazed pieces in hand and I think I caught
everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
Cheryl Litman
Somerset, NJ
email: cheryllitman@juno.com
On Wed, 26 Aug 1998 09:12:02 EDT Bobbi Bassett writes:
>----------------------------Original
>message----------------------------
>You can add my name to the list of North Star boosters. I called with
>a
>problem and he just sent the parts, no questions asked AND NO BILL
>EITHER. I
>will continue to buy from them and spread the word.
>
>Bobbi in PA
>
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Marion Barnes-Schwartz. on fri 28 aug 98
Cheryl,
Kids that age learn best through manipulatives and the concrete. Letting
them see some or all of the firing process would certainly help them
understand.
Many years ago I had my pottery studio in the basement of some friends. My
friends had two young children, aged 4 & 5 who used to love spending time with
me in the studio. The youngest was legally blind. I took his hands and tried
to show him how to make a pot, first by letting him feel the clay and feel
what it could do, and then by having him touch a finished pot. He stood there
for the longest time, hands on the clay, not moving. I asked him how his pot
was going. He told me it wasn't done yet. He was expecting it to somehow
make itself. I realized that I needed to guide him through every step of the
process, and he needed direct experience of each step. His being blind only
made the need for direct experience more obvious, but the need for direct
experience applied to sighted kids as well.
He taught me so much. His sense of touch was extremely sensitive. He could
touch a freshly thrown pot I had on a spinning wheel almost without leaving
any mark on it whatsoever.
Marion
marc mancuso on fri 28 aug 98
>WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
>understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
>the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
Hi Cheryl,
Please give me a moment to stop giggling. Ya just gotta love kids. I can
just see glaze powder on little fingers, shirts, bare spots on the pots....
the whole image. Maybe we should wait until the second or third class
before covering glaze eutectics.
In the meantime, I'm trying to get into the head of a five-year-old. Okay,
I'm thinking like a kid.
I'm starting to respond to my name pretty well. If a chair has my name on
it, I know where to sit. If my books have my name on it, I know they're
mine. Maybe you could make numbered sheets of paper with each child's name
on them, to be used for marking places where their pots go at each stage in
the process. If parts around the studio are numbered, then things should
match up pretty evenly.
At the beginning of the class, as you conduct your "orientation", have each
child put their name on/next to the glaze buckets (maybe on the one they
choose), on the shelf their pots will dry on, on the bag of clay they will
choose, and so on. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you think
appropriate. It's might be like following a trail of bread crumbs.
The reason I make up this process is that the kids are not just listening,
but actually putting their name on things as a means of physical
reinforcement. Not only has each step in the process been explained
verbally (which may or may not register), but also, the child has done
something (put their name in place) to physically orient themself in the
process. Once a pot is dipped in glaze, for example, I go find my name and
I put my pot on my name. A shelf full of empty papers next to the kiln
seems like a good visual clue that *something* needs to go there.
As I was typing the previous paragraph, I considered the last step where
last of the paper sheets goes directly into the kiln in the "orientation."
It might be amusing to a five-year old that they will all burn up with the
pots.
I'd imagine the same thing could be done with masking tape, colored dots,
little folding cards, or what-have-you. If you have the names already in
place, I think the effect would be diminished.
This is just a thought. I'd be tickled it something like this works. Or, at
least, sounds like it might work.
Bye!
Marc
Marc Mancuso
mmancuso@mit.edu
http://web.mit.edu/mmancuso/www/
"Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun."
Gordon on fri 28 aug 98
Cheryl-
Just a thought- why not show them the process like they do in the
cooking shows- show the ingredients and how they put them together and then
from a warm kiln pull out another piece just like the one you just
glazed.Make sure it is warm and let them touch it so they get the idea it
has to be heated.
That way nothing is left to the imagination. And yes I think it would be a
good idea for them to put their freshly glazed pieces in the kiln even if
you have to rearrange it later. At least that way they cannot walk out the
door with them.
Original message:
"Just finished glazing pottery with a bunch of kids, showed them the raw
glaze, told them we would paint the glaze on the pieces, showed them the
kiln, told them it was like a giant oven and that after they painted the
pottery I'd put it in the kiln (which we went and looked at). Said that
when their pottery got heated up very hot in the kiln it would come out
shiny the next day and I showed them finished glazed pieces in the colors
we were going to use. We compared the colors of the glaze in the bucket
vs the fired pieces and talked how the heat changes the glaze and makes
it like a coating of glass on the clay. After class half of them walked
out with their freshly glazed pieces in hand and I think I caught
everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
Cheryl Litman"
Kathleen Gordon
Palo Alto,Ca
email:emgordon@batnet.com
voice:650-328-9164
David Hendley on fri 28 aug 98
It would be really great if you could put a small piece
of glazed pottery in a test kiln at the beginning of the
session, and have it finished by the end of the class.
That may be the only way a 5-year-old can really
get the idea.
Less than $200.
Any chance your facility would spring for one?
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
At 09:18 AM 8/27/98 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Just finished glazing pottery with a bunch of kids, showed them the raw
>glaze, told them we would paint the glaze on the pieces, showed them the
>kiln, told them it was like a giant oven and that after they painted the
>pottery I'd put it in the kiln (which we went and looked at). Said that
>when their pottery got heated up very hot in the kiln it would come out
>shiny the next day and I showed them finished glazed pieces in the colors
>we were going to use. We compared the colors of the glaze in the bucket
>vs the fired pieces and talked how the heat changes the glaze and makes
>it like a coating of glass on the clay. After class half of them walked
>out with their freshly glazed pieces in hand and I think I caught
>everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
>understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
>the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
>
>Cheryl Litman
>Somerset, NJ
>email: cheryllitman@juno.com
>
Cindy on fri 28 aug 98
Cheryl,
Most kids that age have a real short attention span, and they can't
assimilate a lot of details. Try using some humor to get their attention.
Almost anything will make them laugh, and if you make them laugh, they're
more likely to listen to you. Keep your explanations short, simple, and
very straightforward.
Keep in mind that this process, which seems so simple to potters, is quite
confusing to the average person. I've explained this process to reasonably
intelligent adults, using the simplest terms I could figure out, and many
of them still didn't get it the first time. So . . . be patient, and watch
that door. ;)
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels
Custer, SD
USA http://blackhills-info.com/a/cindys/menu.htm
Kelley Webb Randel on fri 28 aug 98
Hey Cheryl!
If it was safe enough, putting the pieces in the kiln would work. Especially
if you let them see it as you crack it the next day! Unload it with them.
Some Kids that age don't really understand time references, 5 minutes vs.
tomorrow= same thing.
Kelley Webb Randel
Randall Moody on fri 28 aug 98
-----Original Message-----
From: Cheryl L Litman
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Thursday, August 27, 1998 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: kids
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Just finished glazing pottery with a bunch of kids, showed them the raw
glaze, told them we would paint the glaze on the pieces, showed them the
kiln, told them it was like a giant oven and that after they painted the
pottery I'd put it in the kiln (which we went and looked at). Said that
when their pottery got heated up very hot in the kiln it would come out
shiny the next day and I showed them finished glazed pieces in the colors
we were going to use. We compared the colors of the glaze in the bucket
vs the fired pieces and talked how the heat changes the glaze and makes
it like a coating of glass on the clay. After class half of them walked
out with their freshly glazed pieces in hand and I think I caught
everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
As the father of a 1st and 2nd grader I can say that at the age you are
talking about the kids are very step oriented. Walk them through all of the
steps showing and telling at the same time. Some kids do not grasp verbal
explanations alone easily. Both of my boys looked at throwing as akin to
magic when they first saw me do it.
Pamela & Evan Kohler-Camp on sat 29 aug 98
After class half of them walked out with their freshly glazed pieces in
hand and I think I caught everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying
to get them to
>understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
>the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
>
>Cheryl Litman
>Somerset, NJ
>email: cheryllitman@juno.com
Dear Cheryl,
At our center, there are too many classes to guaranty that there will be
kiln space free when they are there. We also have so many kilns running
that it's dangerous to get them used to the idea of walking up to the kiln.
It might be hotter than they realize! Children and other students are not
allowed in a roped off area that is designated a "the kiln area". I
believe that the insurance company prefers it that way. If this is the
case, you could make a big ceremony about placing their art on a special
shelf that is clearly labled just for their class. I tell my classes that
hopefully their art will be ready to go home with them the next time they
come to class. I have been working with kids 6-66 for only the last year.
Good luck with your teaching. Isn't it fun to watch most folks "wake up"?
Pamela
Earl Brunner on sat 29 aug 98
In a message dated 8/27/98 6:21:34 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
cheryllitman@juno.com writes:
<< WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
>>
I taught kindergarten for four years, and first grade for two and still teach
K-3rd graders. Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition........
Anyway, you get the idea.
Earl Brunner
Stephen Mills on sat 29 aug 98
Cheryl,
I have found the Raku the best way of demonstrating to children
the glazing-colours-firing bit. Its abreviated time scale
ensures they see the process as a "whole", rather than
disconnected bits.
A technique I use with very young children is to have them work
with plastic clay and coloured (thick) slips brushed on to their
newly made pots. This way they can create the form and colour it
in one session and the process isn't fragmented physically and
mentally. All it needs after that is clear Glaze!
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Cheryl L Litman writes
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Just finished glazing pottery with a bunch of kids, showed them the raw
>glaze, told them we would paint the glaze on the pieces, showed them the
>kiln, told them it was like a giant oven and that after they painted the
>pottery I'd put it in the kiln (which we went and looked at). Said that
>when their pottery got heated up very hot in the kiln it would come out
>shiny the next day and I showed them finished glazed pieces in the colors
>we were going to use. We compared the colors of the glaze in the bucket
>vs the fired pieces and talked how the heat changes the glaze and makes
>it like a coating of glass on the clay. After class half of them walked
>out with their freshly glazed pieces in hand and I think I caught
>everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
>understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
>the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
>
>Cheryl Litman
>Somerset, NJ
>email: cheryllitman@juno.com
>
>On Wed, 26 Aug 1998 09:12:02 EDT Bobbi Bassett writes:
>>----------------------------Original
>>message----------------------------
>>You can add my name to the list of North Star boosters. I called with
>>a
>>problem and he just sent the parts, no questions asked AND NO BILL
>>EITHER. I
>>will continue to buy from them and spread the word.
>>
>>Bobbi in PA
>>
>
>_____________________________________________________________________
>You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
>Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
>Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
home e-mail: stevemills@mudslinger.demon.co.uk
work e-mail: stevemills@bathpotters.demon.co.uk
own website: http://www.mudslinger.demon.co.uk
BPS website: http://www.bathpotters.demon.co.uk
Barbara Lewis on sat 29 aug 98
Cheryl:
It sounds as though you did a great job. The thing I remember about my own
children when they were that age is that their attention span is exxxtremely
short. A final statement at the end of the talk about the transformation of
raw glaze to glass might be, "Well, now we're going to put our pots on the
shelf so that I can load them into the kiln later." They really need to be
told what to do. But it sounds as though you did a great job. What lucky
little kiddies they are to be introduced to pottery so early in life.
I remember doing pots with first and second graders (my two children being
in first and second grade at the time) -- what a joy! I got so many
positive responses back. One little boy slept with his pot. Another broke
his four years later and was really upset. The children used their pots for
eating from. They apparently were very attached to their work. And, now as
my two children (or should I say young adults) are entering 7th and 8th
grade, I attempt to start an art club for middle schoolers. They attend a
local private school, so it seems that the challenge will be to find an
appropriate spot for the club. The school is so limited in size, with the
perfect spot being used for an aftercare program. We'll see. But, I admire
what you're doing, keep up the good work. Best regards, Barbara
At 09:18 AM 8/27/98 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Just finished glazing pottery with a bunch of kids, showed them the raw
>glaze, told them we would paint the glaze on the pieces, showed them the
>kiln, told them it was like a giant oven and that after they painted the
>pottery I'd put it in the kiln (which we went and looked at). Said that
>when their pottery got heated up very hot in the kiln it would come out
>shiny the next day and I showed them finished glazed pieces in the colors
>we were going to use. We compared the colors of the glaze in the bucket
>vs the fired pieces and talked how the heat changes the glaze and makes
>it like a coating of glass on the clay. After class half of them walked
>out with their freshly glazed pieces in hand and I think I caught
>everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
>understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
>the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
>
>Cheryl Litman
>Somerset, NJ
>email: cheryllitman@juno.com
>
>On Wed, 26 Aug 1998 09:12:02 EDT Bobbi Bassett writes:
>>----------------------------Original
>>message----------------------------
>>You can add my name to the list of North Star boosters. I called with
>>a
>>problem and he just sent the parts, no questions asked AND NO BILL
>>EITHER. I
>>will continue to buy from them and spread the word.
>>
>>Bobbi in PA
>>
>
>_____________________________________________________________________
>You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
>Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
>Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
>
Wellspring Clayworks
5412 Well Spring Road
La Plata, MD 20646
blewis@crosslink.net
Joy Holdread on sat 29 aug 98
In a message dated 8/28/98 8:59:42 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
wmoody@siu.edu writes:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Cheryl L Litman
> To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
> Date: Thursday, August 27, 1998 8:21 AM
> Subject: Re: kids
>
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Just finished glazing pottery with a bunch of kids, showed them the raw
> glaze, told them we would paint the glaze on the pieces, showed them the
> kiln, told them it was like a giant oven and that after they painted the
> pottery I'd put it in the kiln (which we went and looked at). Said that
> when their pottery got heated up very hot in the kiln it would come out
> shiny the next day and I showed them finished glazed pieces in the colors
> we were going to use. We compared the colors of the glaze in the bucket
> vs the fired pieces and talked how the heat changes the glaze and makes
> it like a coating of glass on the clay. After class half of them walked
> out with their freshly glazed pieces in hand and I think I caught
> everyone in time. WHAT am I not doing or saying to get them to
> understand the process better? Should I have them bring the pieces to
> the kiln and watch me put them in? Young kids 5 & 6.
Cheryl,
You no doubt did everything right, & all the suggestions I've read sound like
good ideas too. We forget just how much basic knowledge we use. I counted 6
concepts in your missive. That's a lot. When I grew up I heard "I
shouldn't have to tell you twice" daily. Well, it seemed like it. Yes, when
we learn new concepts we need to hear it lots of times, see it, try it, think
about it, oups we forget, re learn it. Same applies to adults. I've learned
that needing to hear something twice is not a sign of disrespect or lack of
attention.
Have fun with those little darlings. When you say a bunch of kids in a
pottery studio just how many? No don't tell me I'm fighting the urge to cover
my eyes as I type. Joy in Tucson
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