Friday, May 22, 2015

Clay Talking Rocks


A quick post today.  Here is a great example of what the 4th grade made for their clay projects done with our Art Teacher swap.  Mrs. Schultz did Talking Clay Rocks with the 4th grade.  I don't have a lot of examples of these because the kids did not glaze or paint them.  They got to take the rocks with them the next time they had art.  The left the classroom very quickly.  I think Leah had our 4th grade be a little creative with the rocks and change them into anything they wanted.  I saw a REALLY good lesson for Talking Rocks by Jody Broekemeier on the Arts Connect Ed website for Talking Rocks. Mn has an art standard that relates to the history of MN Native Americans.  This standard is fully addressed in this lesson plan.  Here is how she explains how to make the Talking Rocks...


She makes a sphere and cuts it in two.  She suggest hollowing it out as shown below.


When I have done this lesson in the past, I had the kids make two pinch pots.  I think both methods work.


Little balls of clay are created and wrapped with paper towels and placed in the hollowed bowls.  Adding extra paper towels leave for more space in the rock for the clay balls to shake around after the firing.  

The bowls are joined together and embellished.  You MUST poke a hole in the sphere before firing it or the clay works will explode. The magic is in returning the rocks to the kids... the paper ashes fall out of the talking rock and the rattle of the clay is amazing to students.

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