More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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Children growing up in a lower socioeconomic environment need to have the realization that there are more ways to create art than crayons, markers, and Play-Doh. They hunger for more substance and playing in the dirt becomes art when they run their fingers over the silky slippery clay placed before them.
But oh my! We only have 45 minutes to get 20 students set up to explore three dimensional clay art. "You each have three pounds of air dry clay," I announce as I continue to provide a white PVC tube to each table to share as a rolling pin. Students become restless. "We need to be quick in rolling out a slab of clay," I continue, "So focus on the task at hand and prepare your 10" x 10" slab. Fifteen more minutes pass. I look at the clock and realize that we need to hurry because creating a bowl on a hump mold then adding decorative texture is going to easily fill the 30 minutes we have left... but then, there's cleanup. "Move quickly, students!" Half the class has rolled a slab with the PVC pipe rolling pins... others wait. We are running out of time on task. Frustration smothers our success.
Prepping for a pottery/ceramic class could so easily be expedited if the process of creating a slab could be done quickly and efficiently on a North Star Polaris Slab Roller.. I personally own one of these slab rollers, and I know first hand how helpful it is. A semi-flattened ball of clay placed near the rollers...a firm grip on the handle and turn baby turn. Run the soft pliable clay through 2 times, and off they go to flop it onto the mold. Now! The fun of decorating begins. Success!
About my class
Children growing up in a lower socioeconomic environment need to have the realization that there are more ways to create art than crayons, markers, and Play-Doh. They hunger for more substance and playing in the dirt becomes art when they run their fingers over the silky slippery clay placed before them.
But oh my! We only have 45 minutes to get 20 students set up to explore three dimensional clay art. "You each have three pounds of air dry clay," I announce as I continue to provide a white PVC tube to each table to share as a rolling pin. Students become restless. "We need to be quick in rolling out a slab of clay," I continue, "So focus on the task at hand and prepare your 10" x 10" slab. Fifteen more minutes pass. I look at the clock and realize that we need to hurry because creating a bowl on a hump mold then adding decorative texture is going to easily fill the 30 minutes we have left... but then, there's cleanup. "Move quickly, students!" Half the class has rolled a slab with the PVC pipe rolling pins... others wait. We are running out of time on task. Frustration smothers our success.
Prepping for a pottery/ceramic class could so easily be expedited if the process of creating a slab could be done quickly and efficiently on a North Star Polaris Slab Roller.. I personally own one of these slab rollers, and I know first hand how helpful it is. A semi-flattened ball of clay placed near the rollers...a firm grip on the handle and turn baby turn. Run the soft pliable clay through 2 times, and off they go to flop it onto the mold. Now! The fun of decorating begins. Success!