Handling Clay ~ On an Art Cart or when you don't have a pug mill...

the.clay.solution

I confess, this wasn't originally my idea, but it works well and I wanted to share it. In my classroom I have an area set up as "Clay Corner" with all the clay supplies. I teach a lesson in clay to 6th and 7th graders each 6 week cycle. I also teach pottery for 6 week sessions 3-5 times a year. We do not have a pug mill in our classroom.

I have instructed the students on how much clay to gather and walk them through the process on putting clay away. By the end of the first two days, kids are well educated and it carries through from 6th to 8th grade. One thing I've learned it, have a system, be consistent and it surely helps.

Here is my system:

GETTING STARTED:

 

• "Get Buckets"- gather up some old 5 gallon paint buckets with lids. Try asking your cafeteria staff if they have any of the sort. 2-3 works well for my classes and class sizes. I label two with "WET CLAY" and 1 with "DRY CLAY" (I also keep an extra bucket full of broken greenware)
• Then cut the clay into baseball sized pieces of clay using a wire cutter. 
• "Old Shirts" -  Layer damp shirts between stacks of the clay cubes you have made.
  This will keep the clay moist.
   

RECYCLING FOR 'TOMORROW' or later hours:
 

• Students are instructed to use their scrap clay to 'stamp' gather any remaining bits of clay on their desks. They then get to 'wedge' the clay by stamping it into a square. 

• This square is slightly smaller than a tennis ball. 

•  One method I do often is I have the students add their square to the first square on the back counter. (Sometimes this can create distraction, so I assign a student to gather all the squares) Then we simply keep adding the squares together and "wedge" them into one large square.  This a good activity for the restless and those that clean up or finish early.

• Finally, I take the large cube of clay and start the process all over again. I cut the clay into the sizes I want, or slabs. I take the used clay and layer it in between damp t-shirts. If the clay is especially dry, I use the dry clay bucket and keep the shirts pretty damp. (Watch clay on the bottom as all the water seeps that way, the bottom of the bucket should be lined with a shirt.)
• If the squares the kids make are a good size and not made into one giant square, I will just recycle them that way. 
• THAT'S IT! Works quite well for me! I hope it helps you too!