Cl Litman on tue 19 jun 01
Andie,
If you want to stick with games, then possibly showing some models of
things to do will help them. Sometimes kids dally when they're unsure
what to make. If you have a bunch of models of games made to show them,
it might get some of them back on track. Also see if one or two of the
kids is changing the group dynamic. Then target them for some extra
attention. I've had classes where one louder kid who obviously doesn't
feel confident in clay manages to 'turn' the others. Take a look at
who's paying attention to whom as you talk and introduce the project.
If group one is enjoying the slabs have them make tic tac toe boards and
playing pieces. Make a few designs to show to challenge them to see who
can make the most interesting irregularly shaped boards and playing
pieces.
I've also used slabs to have them make marble mazes. I found raku clay
worked best for this one, my other clays cracked.
I can't remember the name of the game but it's in the shape of a cross
and has pegs which fit in holes in the board, it's a solitaire game.
One that's a kid favorite but don't know if you want the parent ire. I
have them make spitball shooters. We take a wad of clay, form it around
a pencil and turn that into some sort of animal face (body). The tail
end is where you blow into it and the mouth is where the spitball comes
out.
I hope you get additional money for so many extra kids signed up. I made
that mistake once, of not having a clause in writing about me getting
extra money per kid over and above my maximum.
Alternately, you might ask the kids what it is they came to class wanting
to make and go from there. Sometimes you get a group with strong ideas
of their own and that's why they aren't interested in your ideas. Flush
out what they want to do and let them run with it.
Re your other class issue, write up a contract now and make them sign, or
you won't do the class for them. You have to have an agreement in writing
before you start, especially since they have already changed the terms.
Make sure to get $$ up front for materials and put in your contract that
their organization's liability insurance must cover you.
You can do puppets with 6 year olds. However it is a really big job,
you'll have to check every piece they make to assure that the holes for
stringing are large enough and straight enough. Heads have to be checked
for thickness. Necks long enough to attach a body to. You'll also end
up stringing them for them which is a LOT of work. We did it once and
enlisted parents the last day to help tie the puppets together. A better
choice is finger puppets. They can also make a stage from a cardboard
box, paint it and make other props for their set in clay. A project they
always love is to take a favorite story and make the characters in it to
act out a scene.
I've done all kinds of triorama scenes in boxes: stories, zoo, rain
forest, prehistoric dinosaurs, their bedroom, scenes from famous
paintings. This age group has lots of enthusiasm but many do not have
much dexterity - unless they've done a lot of crafts before. Always
have finished pieces to show them as models. Don't give a lot of
instructions at once. They tend to make attachments too thin and pieces
break off. I have them make figures sitting. Initialing pieces can be a
problem when they make lots of small things. They almost never remember
which piece is theirs. I have them put all their pieces on a sheet of
paper with their name and I go back when the clay is firmer and etch
initials. I stay away from coil projects.
Good luck.
Cheryl Litman - NJ
LitmanC@aol.com
cheryllitman@juno.com
On Tue, 19 Jun 2001 15:56:06 -0400 Andie Carpenter
writes:
> I'm in desperate need of a little advice from some teachers more
> experienced than I. I've had four sessions of classes go
> spectacularly
> this summer, but this week I'm having trouble.
>
> 1) I am currently teaching a one week camp, three sessions in a row
> of
> 20-22 kids each (forget my 15 student max.). I am having trouble
> with
> some of the dynamics going on, and could use some advice. The
> project
> was supposed to be clay games. In theory, the kids were all going
> to
> design their own boards (made of folded foam board), and make the
> pieces
> from clay, which would then be fired to bisque, painted, and
> sprayed
> with acrylic to seal them. However, each class has gone a bit
> astray.
> The first session (3rd-5th graders) is getting nowhere, as they roll
> out
> slabs of clay, play around, and then wad it back up, so at the end
> of
> class they've got zip. In the second session (4th, 5th & 6th
> graders),
> almost everyone decided to make checkers sets, cut out circles, and
> are
> completely done already, with three days to go. The third group (6th
> &
> 7th graders) went completely off on their own, not making games at
> all,
> but instead focusing on sculptures and coil pots. Now, the third
> group I
> can handle - coil pots it is - but I need some advice as to getting
> the
> first group motivated to make something to take home, and getting
> the
> second group to be a little more creative and continue adding to
> their
> projects. (I've already got ideas for how I'd do it all if I could
> start
> over, but that's not going to help me this week.)
>
> 2) My second problem is a little bigger. In the early spring, when
> I
> scheduled my classes, I met with the owners of a little place,
> brand
> new, who wanted me to teach. I went over and talked to them about
> it
> all, and we agreed (not in writing, unfortunately), that I'd do two
> sessions a day, week long classes, the first being 3rd-5th graders
> and
> the second being 6th & 7th. I gave them a blurb for their ads and my
> daily schedule of what we'd be doing. Still nothing in writing.
> Well,
> the first class begins next week, so I called to find out
> (assuming,
> since I hadn't heard from them after the meeting in the spring, that
> it
> was canceled) what their plans were for the rest of the summer, and
> discovered that: 1) instead of the age groups I talked to them
> about,
> they have booked me one week long class, 2 hour sessions, of ten 6
> year
> olds (I have never even been in a room with kids this young). Also,
> I
> STILL have nothing in writing, no contract, nothing in writing about
> my
> pay, nothing about who buys supplies, and when I asked them if they
> were
> having the parents sign the standard "no liability if your kids cuts
> his
> knee" forms, they acted like they had never heard of such a thing
> in
> their lives. I am used to teaching through the standard arts
> councils,
> art guilds, and other non-profits, who hand me tons of paperwork
> before
> the class starts, and who say "give me your receipts and I'll cut
> you a
> supply check". So with this situation, I need advice about 1) what
> kind
> of project to do & what to expect from 6 year olds, and 2) what to
> do
> about getting stuff in writing from these people. The plan (when I
> thought it was older kids) was to make a sort of marionette: they'd
> pick
> an animal, make the animal in parts, string them together at the
> end,
> tie them to a cross of bamboo stalks, and have a marionette. Now
> I'm
> concerned that the younger kids may be overwhelmed by this project.
> Bottom, line, I've got a knot in my stomach about this place. I'm a
> "show up & teach" teacher, and am very concerned that things like
> snacks
> and emergency contact cards may not be taken care of, and that I may
> be
> then held responsible if something goes wrong. What do I do?
>
> Please email andie@andie.net -
>
> Thanks -
>
> Andie
>
>
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Andie Carpenter on tue 19 jun 01
I'm in desperate need of a little advice from some teachers more
experienced than I. I've had four sessions of classes go spectacularly
this summer, but this week I'm having trouble.
1) I am currently teaching a one week camp, three sessions in a row of
20-22 kids each (forget my 15 student max.). I am having trouble with
some of the dynamics going on, and could use some advice. The project
was supposed to be clay games. In theory, the kids were all going to
design their own boards (made of folded foam board), and make the pieces
from clay, which would then be fired to bisque, painted, and sprayed
with acrylic to seal them. However, each class has gone a bit astray.
The first session (3rd-5th graders) is getting nowhere, as they roll out
slabs of clay, play around, and then wad it back up, so at the end of
class they've got zip. In the second session (4th, 5th & 6th graders),
almost everyone decided to make checkers sets, cut out circles, and are
completely done already, with three days to go. The third group (6th &
7th graders) went completely off on their own, not making games at all,
but instead focusing on sculptures and coil pots. Now, the third group I
can handle - coil pots it is - but I need some advice as to getting the
first group motivated to make something to take home, and getting the
second group to be a little more creative and continue adding to their
projects. (I've already got ideas for how I'd do it all if I could start
over, but that's not going to help me this week.)
2) My second problem is a little bigger. In the early spring, when I
scheduled my classes, I met with the owners of a little place, brand
new, who wanted me to teach. I went over and talked to them about it
all, and we agreed (not in writing, unfortunately), that I'd do two
sessions a day, week long classes, the first being 3rd-5th graders and
the second being 6th & 7th. I gave them a blurb for their ads and my
daily schedule of what we'd be doing. Still nothing in writing. Well,
the first class begins next week, so I called to find out (assuming,
since I hadn't heard from them after the meeting in the spring, that it
was canceled) what their plans were for the rest of the summer, and
discovered that: 1) instead of the age groups I talked to them about,
they have booked me one week long class, 2 hour sessions, of ten 6 year
olds (I have never even been in a room with kids this young). Also, I
STILL have nothing in writing, no contract, nothing in writing about my
pay, nothing about who buys supplies, and when I asked them if they were
having the parents sign the standard "no liability if your kids cuts his
knee" forms, they acted like they had never heard of such a thing in
their lives. I am used to teaching through the standard arts councils,
art guilds, and other non-profits, who hand me tons of paperwork before
the class starts, and who say "give me your receipts and I'll cut you a
supply check". So with this situation, I need advice about 1) what kind
of project to do & what to expect from 6 year olds, and 2) what to do
about getting stuff in writing from these people. The plan (when I
thought it was older kids) was to make a sort of marionette: they'd pick
an animal, make the animal in parts, string them together at the end,
tie them to a cross of bamboo stalks, and have a marionette. Now I'm
concerned that the younger kids may be overwhelmed by this project.
Bottom, line, I've got a knot in my stomach about this place. I'm a
"show up & teach" teacher, and am very concerned that things like snacks
and emergency contact cards may not be taken care of, and that I may be
then held responsible if something goes wrong. What do I do?
Please email andie@andie.net -
Thanks -
Andie
Carole Fox on wed 20 jun 01
Dear Andie,
You are surely brave to teach 22 small children in one class. Perhaps =
you could get a teenager to assist.
I have taught clay camps for 6 year olds and found them surprisingly =
adept at claywork. But, I usually find that there is a great variable of =
ability in any age range and so I have adapted a style of teaching that =
is based on one project per 1 1/2 hr. class. Many kids don't have the =
attention span even for that and are finished before the class is 1/2 =
through. Guess what- In my classes the kids who finish first get to help =
clean up the most.=20
Coil pots can be really difficult for some kids. I like to give them the =
choice of freeform coil pots or constructing a coil pot in a mold =
(bisque bowls or plaster molds), smoothing the inside to hold the piece =
together, rather than using slip. You can make some really cool pots =
this way- it doesn't matter how lame you are at rolling coils. You can =
even use little balls of clay alone or with the coils. Pretty hard to =
ruin this project, though you will probably have to help some kids with =
the smoothing of the inner wall. This project looks great with a coat of =
stain or underglaze applied to the bisque and then wiped with a damp =
sponge, then a clear glaze.( Color remains mostly in crevices)=20
Some kids don't know where to begin when they see a blob of clay. They =
need to have a very concrete idea to work on. If you were going to make =
game boards, it might be helpful to first brainstorm and talk about =
different possibilities for boards and playing pieces. You simply can't =
allow the kids to keep making stuff and then destroying it. Some kids =
enjoy this immensely. Have a rule that they need to ask for help. =
Otherwise, you are going to have a lot of clay recycling to do.=20
I have never taught more than 15 students, but I usually try to keep a =
discussion going. It's easy to get kids to talk. Ask stuff like- What's =
your favorite book, movie or TV show... or- What's the weirdest thing =
you ever saw someone eat? Having a discussion helps keep kids focused on =
the class. Sometimes you'll need to rein it in a little as kids can get =
real excited (as I'm sure you know).
I strongly advise asking for help. After all they did ignore the limit =
you agreed on.
I liked your marionette idea- sounds a bit difficult for the 6 year =
olds. Good luck!
Carole Fox
Elkton, MD
cfox@dca.net
L. P. Skeen on wed 20 jun 01
>>Many kids don't have the attention span even for that and are finished
before the class is 1/2 through. Guess what- In my classes the kids who
finish first get to help clean up the most.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Guess what? Most 6yo's LOVE cleanup time!
They get to be on top of the table with all that lovely WATER to slop
around!
L
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