Clay, magnifying glasses, and the microscope.

3/15/2021

We had a beautiful time together this morning, and we had a special treat of both big sisters joining us! Riva and Rose were each able to sit and work with us. We got messy with our hands, learned a bit about the the process of clay after we're finished creating, and took a close look!

We explored looking up close with our magnifying glasses, and I introduced the digital microscope! It was a lot of fun to "zoom in" on our clay, and other things that we could find!

“I’m so excited to see you guys, but I’m working now. It’s a special day today. It’s a special day for clay.”
- Saul, 3.7 years

What a special treat for us today! Rose, Giacomo's big sister, and Riva, Saul's big sister worked with us today! We loved having you, and we'd love to see you again soon!

“I’m working on my things so I can plant a tree because there’s so many holes. Look at all these holes.” - Saul

Are those holes for the seeds?

“It’s holes for the trees.” - Saul

“I’m making a dog. I’m doing its head right now.” - Riva

While working with his own clay, Saul had been observing Riva's work on her dog.
“I’m cutting a dog. I’m making a dog so that everyone will notice that the dog is made out of clay.” - Saul
What kind of body parts do you need for your dog?
“I’m cutting eyes.” - Saul

“I’m gonna make a snake. I’m going to make some scales for the snake.” - Rose

“Now I’m making a dog.” - Rose
“I’m working on the head.” - Riva
“Riva is working on a dog too!” - Saul
“I’m going to make a tongue so it looks more like a dog.” - Rose

“I have a magnifying glass.” - Saul, 3.7 years

If you have it, do you want to look closely at your clay and tell me what you see?
“I see some clay. It’s way bigger.” - Saul

“I can see you big.” - Saul [looking through his magnifying glass at the screen]

“Is that another magnifying glass?” - Saul

“So you see, inside of clay there is a soft thing. When you put water on it, it melts like ice. When it melts into water, so that can get harder.” - Giacomo, 4.3 years
Did you say the clay melts?
“Yeah!” - Giacomo
What makes it melt?
“I don’t know. I don’t know what happens next. It just happens at night.” - Giacomo

Introducing the digital microscope

I can help us see closer. I have this microscope that will help us look closer.
“Can we use it right now? Will you show it to us?” - Giacomo
“Is that another magnifying glass?” - Saul
I can show it to you. Saul, this is called a digital microscope. I can use this end right here to look even closer than you can with the magnifying glass.

What do you notice about the clay when it’s up close?
“I notice that it’s big. That the clay is big.” - Saul
“Can you get a teensy big closer?” - Giacomo
I think that’s as close as I can get.
“I notice that there are a lot of little specks.” - Rose
Does the clay look smooth or bumpy?
“Bumpy. Bumpy.” - Saul

“Is that you?” - Saul
Saul, this is my clay board.
“Is that you showing it to me?” - Saul
That’s me showing it to you. I’m showing you the details of my clay board.
“Is that a video of it?” - Saul
No, it’s the microscope.

“Wait, now do your face.” - Giacomo
Here, I can show you my hair.
“Whoa!” - Rose
“That’s creepy!” - Reeva
To me it looks like raw spaghetti.
“To me it looks like hay.” - Rose

“What’s that?” - Riva
“Oooh, that’s her shirt.” - Rose

“What about your computer?” - Giacomo
I can do part of the computer. A part that’s silver.
“There are lots of little bit and it seems a little bit like broken glass all mushed together.” - Rose

I wonder if I hold it over your face on my screen.
“Whoa!” - Giacomo
“That’s your face!” - Rose

Saul, I’m holding it over your face. Do you see your eyes?

I have on green shorts.
“Whoa. That looks kind of the same.” - Rose
I looks woven, like when we do weaving.
“But with grass.” - Rose

“What about your plants? Like these.” - Giacomo
“It looks like water.” - Giacomo
“Green, yucky, slime water.” - Rose
“Lime water!” - Saul
“Slime water.” - Giacomo

“Ew, what’s that?” - Rose
“What is that?” - Giacomo
What do you think it could be?
“An octopus.” - Rose
Saul, what do you think?
“Soil.” - Riva
“The soil.” - Saul
“I thought Octopus because one part looked like the head.” - Rose

“Can you put it on your eye? Oh wow, that’s really creepy!” - Rose

What about saving our clay?

“Elyse, does the clay dry or do we need to put it in the oven?” - Riva
If you’d like to keep something, you can dry it on some paper and cover it with plastic so that it dries slowly and won’t crack. If you leave it sitting out in the open air it will crack as it dries.
“I want it too!” - Saul
Let me show you something that I sent to school. When I took it to school, Jen fired it in the kiln, which is a really big, hot oven for clay. Now it looks like this.
“A circle?” - Saul
Do you see how it’s really white? I made it from this [holding up ball of clay]. This is our white clay. Once it’s fired, it looks like this.
“Then you can paint it.” - Rose
The special paint is called glaze.
“I remember.” - Rose
“I’m not sure I want to paint it. Is there a way to put it in the fire thing and not make it white? I like it gray." - Riva
You can let it dry on paper, under plastic, you can just keep it and it won’t be gray. if you fire it in the kiln, it will be white.