K/1s Work with Clay to Make Bowls for Empty Bowls

 Rolling out the clay

Forming a fine slab

 Glazing a fired bowl

Careful glazing

 A finished bowl

And another

The K/1s learned the basic techniques for working with clay, beginning with kneading to get out the air, rolling a slab and forming it into a bowl. After the bowl was decorated and fired, glaze was carefully added to provide the finishing touch.

4/5's Build Bowls for Empty Bowls

 Kneading the clay

Draping the clay over a paper bowl and trimming it

 Lots of added details

A flower theme emerging

 Glazing

Adding lightning!

 Grandfriend helping with glazing

 Mom watching the process

Mom getting some pointers

The 4/5s kneaded their clay and  rolled out slabs before forming them into bowl shapes and individualizing their bowl with their original designs. On Grandfriends' day the students got some help and advice from Grandparents, parents and friends as they glazed their bowls.

2/3s Begin Making Bowls for Empty Bowls

Kneading the clay

Getting the air out

 Rolling a slab

Help with rolling

 Personalizing the bowl

Scoring and slipping on the details

Glazing bowls

Careful glazing

The 2/3s began kneading clay to make sure there was no air in it before they began crafting their bowls for our Empty Bowls event. They added details to make it their own and then glazed their work after it was bisque fired in the kiln.

6/7/8 Begin Empty Bowls

 Working with coils

 Kneading

A slab for a base

Working with a slab

Scoring and slipping pieces together

A complete scene on the lid

A flower bowl

A leaf theme

A monster!

A candy dish with sculpted confections

A fisherman poised on the edge

An 8th grader instructing another on centering clay

 Glazing

A really tall creation

All students in K-8 will work on a clay bowl for our Empty Bowls event later this fall. The middle school students got their clay and began kneading it to make sure there were no air pockets before they began their hand built design. Middle schoolers also have an opportunity to work on one of our wheels. Each student will build one hand built bowl and one thrown on the wheel. They'll design and decorate them and then add glaze.

Hudson River Snapshot Day

As part of the New York Hudson River Snapshot Day, Parker 2/3 and 6/7 classes go to the river to help collect data that will be used by DEC to monitor the Hudson.  The students rotate through numerous stations, including  observational drawing. This year they used viewfinders to focus in on a particular area to draw. The big challenge this day was the rain that wet their papers while they worked!

4/5s Draw Gourds

In celebration of this amazing fall season the 4/5s practiced their observational drawing skills by capturing the unusual shapes and bumps in several colorful gourds.