Art for children and adults with disabilities

Activity 7 - Creating Clay Bowls Rationale: This activity develops the skills needed to create a clay bowl. Materials: Clay, board, cloth, rolling pin, two wooden sticks of equal thickness (about .5 to 1 cm thick), cling wrap, cereal bowl, blunt knife. Note: Wooden clay knives or plastic knives are recommended. Setting: Students have materials in front of them. Clay may be prepared by the instructor and then rolled into a rough ball shape. The size may vary from as small as a golf ball to the size of a tennis ball. Note: Students with very low muscle tone might like to try this using very soft play dough first. Sequence:
	Flatten clay with the palm of an open hand to approximately 1cm (.5 inches). With the rolling pin, roll the clay to an even thickness by placing it in between the two sticks. Rest the rolling pin on the sticks. The rolling pin will flatten the clay to the width of the wood. The clay slab needs to be an approximate round shape and at least 1 & 1/2 times the diameter of the cereal bowl.
	Line the inside of the cereal bowl with the cling wrap. Carefully pick up the slab and place over the bowl. Gently push the clay into the bowl with the fingers, using even pressure. Gently press the clay in from the sides of the bowl to avoid leaving finger prints (although it doesn't really matter :).
	Now it's time to trim the edges and you can do this two ways. Leave the bowl upright and run the knife around the top edge or, Carefully turn the bowl over and run the knife around the exposed clay edges. This can easily be done by placing a board over the bowl and turning the bowl and the board upside down together.
	A little water may be used to smooth the clay. Use a minimal amount (a few drops) as excessive water may cause clay to crack during air drying. Bowl may be patterned with fingers, pencils, forks etc if desired. Remove the clay bowl from the bowl mould after two to three days. Leave to dry for 10 days, before bisc firing it in the kiln. Paint on the glaze. Let the glaze dry thoroughly, then glaze fire.
	These finished pieces show just what can be achieved. Students are encouraged to participate as much as they are able, and the emphasis is on creating an individual piece that is pleasing to themselves.
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