Clay

Beal pp. 113-139 Clay

I consider a fresh block of clay an aesthetic gift
I like the children to experience being the first to touch the freshly cut clay
themselves. Theres nothing like it (115)
There is nothing I can teach them that they wont learn by exploring the
material themselves (116)
Today Id like to see what you would like to do with clay
-clay is a highly social experience
-5 minutes of quiet might get the class refocused
-young children can do narrative play with their clay (like blocks)
-walk around and notice, describe what you see
-By describing something you see:
-making children more conscious of their own activity
-way of telling them that Im involved with what they are doing (122)
-The value of play:
-play can be hard work
-children are learning at a rapid rate
-Validating and reinforcing efforts- takes childs development to another level
Figurative work with clay:
-joining together pieces
Over time, the children learn about clay. They know what works and what
doesnt. They learn to trust this material (125)
With experience, kids make incredible things (125)
-Ask the children questions so they can connect with their sculptures on a
personal level
ie.- child expressing friendship by joining two figures together
-younger children- more exploratory
-as children get older- they realize they can make something to be saved
*CURRICULUM IDEAS: narrative writing- make your story from clay, express
about something using clay (i.e. child in picture expressing friendship by
joining two figures together p.129)
or asking, How can you show (i.e. How can you show people helping
each other? p. 133)