I am going to start out by saying that #1 I do not have a kiln so all clay used in my clay center is air dry clay.

Secondly, clay is NOT my favorite activity even though it is for many of the children and that is precisely why I do it. I figured out that I am very sensory so I don't like the feel of the clay constantly on my hands so I figured out a workaround when adding a clay center and that is GLOVES!!! This made it much easier to have clay going on so often.

Before TAB I would just have a few periods with clay and then we were finished, but once I introduced the clay center (more towards the end of the year) it was a steady center and having the gloves allowed me to keep it going.

My clay center became a rolling table in one small part of my classroom and these are the 2 signs I had there.

The clay comes is large blocks in white, gray and brown. I don't see much of a difference so it could just be the different companies of air dry clay.

I cut it off into chunks with either a piece of wire attached to handles or if I can't find that then I use a piece of yarn.

The containers you see are for extra clay and then I have my tools for them.

Until now we've used place mats for under the clay, but the clay has been getting stuck to the mats so I hope to get canvas pieces for next year as that is what is advised.

When a period is over and  children are still in middle of working on a piece then the best way to keep it still wet is to cover it with the plastic bags that you get produce in. You can try saran wrap if you don't have those.

Even with those plastics though, if we went too long between periods (like over a vacation) I found that they clay often dried out not allowing them to work on it.

I usually start out with the younger children by teaching them how to make a pinch pot.

Before TAB I would teach a different type of clay project for each grade, but using clay in a center I basically just ended up teaching certain skills and allowing the children to create what they wanted.

The 3 basic  skills that they need to learn to become proficient with clay are:

1. How to join pieces together
2. How thick to make pieces so they don't break (we had LOTS of breakage. Some of it was because we don't have a kiln, but others was because they made their legs, ears, noses etc too skinny)
3. How to roll a slab using 3 pieces of yardstick so that the slabs which become walls are also not too thin.

We have some tools that they can use to carve, pierce and otherwise use to get their clay where they want it to be.

I think because of the amount of breakage we had lots of them started learning how they need to make parts that don't break and hopefully in the future they will use that knowledge to have more success.

Below are some clay pieces that were created this year. (They use some kind of varnish or mod podge to shine it after they paint it)