The Oaklands Pottery Throw Down

Before we broke up for the half term holidays, Beech and Maple Classes rounded off their pottery topic with a visit to the Perfectly Potty Pottery in Winchester.

Pupils from both classes made two pieces each - a hand built version of an imaginative design they had previously drawn at school and a bowl using the wheel.

At the beginning of their visit, Melissa, who owns and runs the pottery, demonstrated how to use the wheel to make a bowl and explained each step of the process and then each pupil had a turn at creating their own.

It was amazing how quickly the children learnt the techniques of moulding and shaping the clay using their hands and a sponge. They finished off their bowls by using a brush to paint a coloured glaze inside them while the bowls were still spinning on the wheel. The whole process needed a great deal of patience, perseverance, concentration and a very steady hand!

The children had a great time and really enjoyed learning so many new skills and techniques to create their own beautiful objects using clay. Who knows, we may have some future participants in The Great Pottery Throw Down in our school!

The pieces the children made were left at the pottery to thoroughly dry out before being fired in the kiln. They'll be ready for our pupils to bring home in a few weeks time.