Kitah Alef’s Clay Wall Art

The Kitah Alef children have been exploring clay for a couple months. This medium was introduced following a long study of paint. Morahs noticed they were really interested in the sensory element. This is what led to introducing them to clay. It also has the added benefit of helping the children strengthen the muscles in their hands, as well as their fine motor skills.

During the first few classes, the children just explored the new medium with their hands and clay tools. They squeezed, cut, and pressed the clay. Morah Jessica began showing the children how to roll the clay into “snakes” or “worms.”

We began coiling the “wormies.” Morah Jessica ordered a large, round wooden tray. The children continued rolling the clay into worms and snakes every week until the tray was filled with the coiled clay “wormies.” Once dry, the clay was glued down with Tacky Glue. 

Next, the children painted the clay in pairs. They were offered four colors of acrylic paint: eggplant, cranberry, salmon, and warm beige. Each pair of children painted a quarter of the clay panel. Once the paint dried, the clay was coated in matte Mod Podge, for permanence.