Yesterday was a busy day for Room 20!
After morning recess we met with a local artist, Jen who specializes in pottery. Jen is our TIA (The Integrated Arts) artist this term. She taught us about clay and then she "threw" a vase for us. This meant that she used her pottery wheel to create the vase. It was fascinating! Then we all had a chance to hand form a mask. She taught us how to make each of the pieces as well as explained to us "scratching". Scratching is making marks on both pieces of clay when trying to attach one to the other. If you do not scratch, the clay will break apart when it is fired in the kiln. Everyone made a practice mask to learn how to use some of the techniques. Next week during her next visit we will be making masks again. These she will take with her to fire in the kiln, and then we will be glazing them.
Listening to Jen explain where clay comes from.
Watching Jen throw a vase.
We all had a chance to touch the finished vase!
Working with Jen to make our masks.
Adding details to the mask by scratching.
Finishing up!
A few of the completed masks
Then in the afternoon we had our Halloween stations! Students chose which order they wanted to go to the station around our classroom. There was an even and odd candy sort, a pumpkin equation sort, two different math games stations, a station where students got and coloured the poem "Five Little Pumpkins", and a station with Halloween booklets. It was a lot of fun!
