Clay animal making workshop at Hook Norton primary
In March 2024 professional artists Alison Townley and Cally Bond took pupils in years 1-6 at Hook Norton Primary School into the jungle of clay-manipulation, inspiring the children to create their own animal faces.
The artists and materials were supplied free of charge to the school by us, Cotswolds Arts Through Schools (CATS for short). The children and teachers gave us this great feedback about their lesson:
Beatrice is in Year 6, afterwards she said: “It was really, really fun. The artists did a very good job and they were very explanatory and they were very encouraging. We learnt that the clay was very wet and we couldn’t touch it too much. The whole experience was meditative and quite calming. I was quite proud of mine and I enjoyed seeing everyone’s style and how they used the techniques. I feel I improved on my skills with using clay too. It was great.”
Archie from Year 5 said: “It was really good and we had a lot of fun with the teachers… We learnt how to make a tiger’s face, how to smooth the clay and put holes into the bits you’re going to put together and how to use the water but not too much.”
Ryan from year 2 said: “I liked it that we got to play with the clay and make the tiger’s head. The teachers were fun. They showed us how to stick the clay together. It was amazing. When it is dry I will paint it.”
The teachers said:
“The artists were brilliant ~ they were very professional, friendly and had a great sense of humour. They taught the skills effectively and adapted and pitched them to the right level for the different year groups.
They were well prepared with the balls of clay, the tools and the paper for the children to work on. SEN children could be included suitably and have a go at shaping the clay to meet their sensory needs.
There had been good communication using email before the sessions. It would be great to have this clay workshop as an annual event using the same 2 artists.”
