Introduce Children to Ceramic Arts
Art constantly surrounds our daily lives. There are ceramic shops that have pieces of ceramic art already pre-made, these are often bisque ceramic pieces. These pieces can range anywhere from a plate to individual letters to unicorns. Once the customer has selected a piece, they can apply a glaze and then their piece is ready for firing. Often this is the first hands-on experience many adults have with ceramic arts. There are many things that can be done to introduce children to ceramic arts. At the primary school levels hand shaped sculptures can be created easily and fired in an oven for permanence. Younger children also enjoy making buttons, beads, and other jewelry items such as earrings, pendants, and barrettes. Not only can basic ceramic working skills be taught with these simple projects, but the children derive much satisfaction creating gift items for family members and friends with their own skills and imaginations. In addition to the traditional polymer clay which remains pliant until baked at low temperature, there are also polymer air dry clays which don’t even require an oven to harden. It is important to know that these clays need to be lead-free and non-toxic, especially when children are using them. For that reason it is important to use clay products that are ACMI certified safe. ACMI is the Arts and Crafts Materials Institute, who applies their seal to materials that are considered to be safe and non-toxic. So it is important that any clays used by children have this seal.It is then of course, equally important that Acmi glazes are also used. AMACO/Brent is a leading supplier of ceramic art supplies, and they also have a great selection of Acmi approved clays and glazes. You can visit their website amaco.com to see the various clays that are available, many of which are recommended for use by children, as well as the fascinating selection of child friendly non-toxic glazes.
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