Coil Pot Challenge

I challenge my students to make the tallest coil pot in one class period as a fun way to show off their skills.  This student thought big spirals attached vertically would get them there faster, I'm not sure if that's true, but it did make a very nice design on the finished piece.

All students start by rolling out a coil of clay that is about as thick as a marker and about 10" long.  Scratch the length of that coil and then wrap it up like a snail shell and blend in the end.  This piece will become the bottom of the coil pot.  Roll out your next coil of clay, same thickness but however long you want.  Scratch around the edge of the bottom piece and scratch the length of the coil you made. Start attaching the coil of clay to the base piece, gently pushing it down as you wrap around the bottom.  When you make a full circle, continue wrapping the clay on top of the previous one until you run out.  Roll out your next coil, scratch it, scratch the top of the last coil you attached and start wrapping it around.  Continue this process until you get as tall as you want to go.  You can gently shape and squeeze the cylinder as it gets taller and more wobbly.  You can also challenge your students to create a design of sprials and "S" curves as a part of their cylinder too.  HINT: If you have a small kiln, make sure your students work will fit!  Good Luck on the Challenge!!

!!!B CR8IV!!!