In connection with the UOI: Sharing the Planet, grade 5 students embarked on a hands-on journey in Visual Arts class into the world of ceramics and Earth’s natural resource - clay.

By employing hand-building techniques such as pinch, slab, and coil methods, they have skillfully crafted a variety of functional objects, including jewelry stands, vases, cups, and small containers with lids, using nothing but their hands and basic wooden and metal tools for shaping and detailing.

One of the highlights of this artistic adventure has been the glazing process. It involves adding colour to their creations, a step filled with anticipation as the final outcome remains somewhat of a surprise until the piece is fired. This step makes the clay artwork waterproof and durable, teaching students about the transformational properties of heat on clay.

Throughout this unit, students have proved to be responsible, open-minded and risk-taking learners. The tactile and transformative world of clay art has not only enriched their understanding of using natural resources creatively but also instilled in them valuable life lessons about adaptability, perseverance, and the beauty of unexpected outcomes.

Artist Statements

I made a pot that I can put plants in or can put bird food inside. Mine has a little yellow bird on the top of the cup just like my bird, and the flower is pink. And it is made out of clay. My mom said I can have a bird so I decided to make a pot that the bird can eat from it. I hope the bird will like it. I made my bowl out of clay and I think the colour is very beautiful. - Dora Z (Grade 5-6)

I made a cup that I named "Cow Cup". It is cow themed and has some big brown spots on it. It also has pink ears and a pink nose on it too. I got some inspiration to make this cup from my baby brother. He loves cows a lot and I thought when I go to India in June, I will give it to him as a gift. I first made a pinch pot and then did the slip, scratch and coil process till I reached the height I wanted. I added extra stuff to make it cow themed like the nose, and the eyes, the ears. I've never made a complicated piece out of clay before. The challenging part was trying to make the piece even.  - Geet S (Grade 5-6)

I created a cup and a cap for it. the cup is for drinking water, juice etc. At first, I used my hands to pinch the clay to make it form, then I made the handle by using another piece of clay. After I was done forming it, I glazed it. I used a few tools to make sure the handle actually attached to the cup. I could have made the cup more smooth to make it look better - my glazing was good! but some parts were not glazed properly. - Julia Y (Grade 5-12)