This was one of those projects that I just decided to wing and cross my fingers that it worked, and so far, it has! In 6th grade, students make sculpture using the pinch method of clay hand-building. The students in the first three quarters (one with me and two with my long-term sub), made some kind of animal sculpture. I was trying to think about how I could spice it up and Googled something like "Clay animal" and up popped a Chia Pet, which is merely a hollow ceramic animal with grooves in it to hold the seeds. I thought it would be really fun to try to make them and went for it! So, after sculpting their animal bodies by joining two pinch pots together on the rim and adding a head, legs, tails, etc. students used a ribbon tool to carve out thin grooves on the part of the animal that they wanted to sprout "hair". They had to create a hole in the tops for watering too. Once fired, students glazed only the non-grooved portion of the piece. The ones that are complete at this point have been 'planted' for about four days now and their lush coats are just starting to sprout! :)
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| Chia "Mother Goose" |
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| Chia Pig |
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| Chia Elephant |
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| Chia Macaroni Penguin (front and back views) |
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| Chia Walrus |
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| Chia Squirrel |
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| Chia Hippo |
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| Chia Lion |
Question- I am making Chia Pets with my 4th grade. We are making Wild Minions- I did not want to have to glaze them- was just planning on letting the students decorate them with purple paint. I am using stoneware do you think that by watering them it will ruin the paint? my email is : tstumpf@tippcity.k12.oh.us Also did you soak yours and what was the growing like on yours- want them green and large for the art show in March. Any help would be appreciated!
ReplyDeleteI just emailed you- sorry for the delay!
DeleteWhat kind of clay did you use?
ReplyDeleteJust Standard low-fire white clay
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