Throwing Clay

My mom got Ethan a pottery wheel for Christmas. The boys have been asking to get it out and try it since then. But, somehow, it always seemed to me like there was too much going on around here to take the time to get everything out, set up, and let each of them take their time learning how to use the wheel and making their pots/vases/what-evers. 

Finally it dawned on me last week that there was never going to be a perfect time to do it, so we should just make time. Sometimes I can be a bit slow to figure these things out. But I still did wait until Claire was napping, since all of that clay and a very "handsy" two year old didn't seem like such a great combination! (I swear some days I think that little girl has at least 10 arms! It positively amazes me the sheer number of items she can grab and run away with before I have a chance to remove them from her possession!) 

Logan read through all of the instructions that came with the wheel, so he took it on himself to show the other two boys how everything worked. I left them to it with no interference from me. I really liked watching Logan jump in and try out something new without any prompting from me. He enjoyed the process of creating more than worrying about the outcome. He told me while he was shaping his clay into a pot and I was taking pictures "This is really fun, Mom!" Which coming from a nearly 15 year old boy is high praise for any type of

crafting indeed! He tried all sorts of methods to shape his clay. Eventually the pot's sides were drawn up too high and thin and the whole thing flopped over into a very inelegant mess. So he lumped it all back into a ball and gave it to Ethan so he could have a turn at the wheel. 

Ethan, being a happy, messy little boy, created a happy, messy little pot in 5 minutes flat and left to play legos... :) He just isn't that into fine details at this point. It looked vaguely pot shaped if a bit lumpy and he was thrilled with it! He says he can't wait to make more soon! 

Matthew on the other hand, is very detail oriented. He is my little resident artist. So he spent the most time experimenting with various methods of working the clay. Eventually he decided he wanted to make a curvy little vase, so that's just what he did. He was thrilled with how it turned out and was making big plans for painting or decorating the vase once it had cured. Sadly on day two of drying, someone knocked his little vase over and it broke into pieces. :(

They are already planning their next masterpieces. I need to get to the craft store and get them some more clay.