Art for people with intellectual disabilities

Activity 8 - Working with the Pottery Wheel There are 5 great photos on this page to help explain the activity, so please be patient while it loads. Rationale: This activity gives the students experience in using the pottery wheel. Materials: Clay, pottery wheel, water, sponge, cloth, board. Note: Pottery wheels are cheap to hire and easy to install. Centering clay on a wheel so that a bowl or pot shape can be formed can be difficult. Do not expect students to centre the clay. Taking a short course is a good idea - these are cheap and available. Alternatively advice from someone experienced with a wheel is suggested to enable the instructor to centre the clay on the wheel Setting: Wheel is ready to be used. Clay is formed into the basic working shape. Water and sponge are on hand. Sequence:
1. Centre the clay to create the basic working shape. (Instructor)	2. Place a block of wood under the pedal to moderate the speed of the wheel.	3. Place hands around the clay. Press foot down on the pedal to experience the spinning clay.
	4. While the wheel is spinning, make a hole in the clay. There are several ways to do this. Push both thumbs into the middle of the clay (pictured left), but don't go to the bottom. Push the middle and index fingers of each hand into the middle of the clay. Push an object with a rounded end, such as the end of a rolling pin, into the clay to make the hole.
	5. Each of these methods will produce a basic bowl shape and may be enough for some students. To finish it off here, run a finger around the base to remove the rough clay. Sponge over the clay to smooth the surface. Run the fishing line cutter under the pot and slide off the wheel onto a cloth board to dry. Continue this activity
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