Grade 1: Pinch Pots

Every year in first grade we create a simple pinch pot. Sometimes I couple the lesson with a holiday (Diyas from India or other types of candle holders) and sometimes I make the lesson part of a larger clay unit. Whichever direction we go, this is a project and experience that I cherish as much as my first graders do. Symbolically, teaching my students how to create a pinch pot reminds me of the journey of art-making that we will go on together for hopefully 5 full years.
Using their hands a primary tool, they shape and smooth the clay into a functional container. Motherhood has influenced so much of who I am as an art educator and on this project, I purposely do not require my students to smooth out the ridges where their fingers pressed and shaped the clay. I view these marks as adding character and creating a statement of "the beginning" and youth. As a mom, those little fingers grooves are so special and I prefer them to a perfectly smoothed pot.
If you are interested, feel free to look at previous posts about pinch pots. For this years post, I would like to share just two photographs. My hand underneath those of a student named Anna who is holding three pinch pots. Our hands together represent my influence and support in the art room. The other is just a photo of a few pinch pots.