Elbows and knees with Clay if you please!

With my young kinders, I always want to have them experience the feeling and mobility of clay.  Anything they produce will be endearing and hopefully treasured by their parents.  My goal for the clay unit is just have them create!  I generally have them complete three to four clay projects.  The first day I will often hand them a small piece of clay and just have them create something using their innate devices.  For instance, many of them will flatten it into some sort of shape and a few will form it into a ball and begin to pinch and stretch it.  The animals they create aren't always easily distinguishable but this will be their interpretation and that is what I am looking for and value in the experience.  The following week I will walk them through a coil pot that is formed inside of a plastic bowl from the dollar store.  I spoke about that process earlier in the year here.  I follow that up with a pinch pot and finally, they create an elbow or knee pot.  If you've never done this with your younger students, it is a hoot!  They can't imagine that you are asking them to push a protruding part of their body into a ball of clay and then they are amazed to find it really does look a little like a small bowl.  So here are some of their finished works.  Give them a try for your next clay session, you will appreciate the results and the kids will love them!