Bunny Slippers

What is better than cozy pink bunny slippers? Well, maybe not cozy since they're built with clay, but still very cute!  Students started these by rolling out a slab of clay that was 3/8ths of an inch thick and traced their shoe onto the clay.  Next they used a half oval shaped slab of clay to create the rounded arch of the toe.  Each foot is a different size, so they'll have to estimate the size and then cut it to adjust for each foot.  Scratch-to-attach around the edges and use a little newspaper stuffed inside the arch to help support it while they add on other elements.  Two long triangles for ears and a small triangle for the nose are cut out of a slab of clay and attached on.  They can add a tail if they'd like and the eyes, mouth and whiskers can be drawn on with tools or added on with pieces of clay.  This student used high temperature wire pushed into the clay for whiskers.  They can also use tools to create a fuzzy texture on the surface of the clay.  Students signed their names on the slipper where the designers name would normally be.  Other animals would also make very cute slippers too!

!!!B CR8IV!!!  

Bookmark Feet

I found an example of these bookmarks with the Wicked Witch's feet poking out of a book and thought my students would enjoy making their version of someone being squished in a book.  They loved the idea of creating monster feet or animal feet. 

Start with a cylinder of clay and bend the cylinder into an L shape for the feet.  Using small clay tools, design details like toes, shoes, pant legs etc.  Remember that if you are adding any parts on, you need to scratch-to-attach them on.  When you are done forming your legs, use a knife to cut a slot perpendicular to the feet about half an inch deep into the legs.  As your clay dries be careful to keep the space in that slot open, if it gets flattened, you won't be able to attach your cardboard bookmark.  Let your clay dry and bisque fire it, then glaze your pieces as desired and fire again. 

When the clay parts are finished, cut a piece of cardboard that is about 1 1/2" wide by about 5" long.  Put a small amount of glue into the slot and slide in the cardboard.  Let dry while you start reading your favorite book! 

!!B CR8IV!!

Tea Bowls

The Japanese have mastered the art of the tea bowl, which can range in style from a perfectly symmetrical shape or an exquisitely organic form.  This is a great project to talk about the anatomy of a pot with your students; the lip, body and foot are all essential elements to the parts of a tea bowl.  There are a few options to build the body of the bowl, one is to make a pinch-pot with high sides to it, or if you have access to a potters wheel, throwing a bowl is an option, the other choice which I have done here is to use a slab of clay.  I rolled out my clay flat and used a paper template to cut a small cylindrical shape, you can cut out rectangular paper templates for your students too.  Once the shape is cut out, its rolled into a cylinder and the edges are scratched-to-attached together.  The bottom is made narrower by cutting 4 V-shaped notches or darts, one on each side.  Then scratch the inside edge of those V-shaped cuts and fold them in together.  This may leave a small square hole in the very bottom of your tea bowl, if it does, just cut a small flat square to scratch-to-attach on and cover the hole.  This procedure is a little bit tricky but it shapes the body of your tea bowl to be wider towards the top and narrower towards the foot, which is the traditional shape of a tea bowl.  Design and pattern can be added to the outside now using tools or stamps and the lip of the bowl should be smoothed out with your finger.  Next, roll out a coil of clay and wrap it up to make a small donut shape that will fit onto the bottom of your tea bowl to create the foot.  Make sure to scratch-to-attach both parts together and also add some surface decoration to the foot.  To learn more about the tradition of tea bowls and the Japanese Tea Ceremony, click here.  

!!!B CR8IV!!!