Ceramics and pottery are the same thing, and for some people it is a great form of expression. You are able to create a wide range of objects with ceramics that you can either use or display.
If you are searching for the best high school ceramic projects, then you have come to the right place.
We have compiled 16 of the best high school and easy ceramic projects that you need to try today.
Plant pots are really easy to make, and any high schooler will be able to achieve this.
There are a lot of ways to create a ceramic plant pot, but the easiest way is by pinching the clay to create the thickness and shape you desire.
It is up to the person how deep they wish to create their plant pot. However, the deeper they make their pot, the more challenging the pot may become when trying to avoid cracks.
A spoon rest is something a lot of people wish they had, and yet they are really easy to make.
The only thing you need to be aware of with a spoon rest is ensuring that the clay is slightly thicker on the edges. Other than that, it can be any shape you want and is pretty difficult to mess up.
The coiling method is a vital skill that everyone should learn, and it is easy to grasp. High school students will enjoy using the coiling method to create pots and vases in no time.
This project teaches your high school student the importance of taking their time and ensuring all their seals and coils are well blended to prevent cracks.
You can create a small or large pot, vase, or even bowl using this technique.
You don’t need a wheel to be able to make your own mugs, hence this project is ideal for anyone in high school. All you need to make a pinch pot mug are your hands and some clay.
By the end, you will have a mug, which you can use every day. Since these mugs are so simple to create, you can easily create a set, which you can be proud to show off.
You don’t have to stick with hand built projects, why not get your high school students to throw their own bowls. This is because bowls are one of the first things any new potter will throw.
The bowl shape is very natural and simple to replicate. You can create smaller or larger bowls, depending on how much you wish to play with the clay.
A juicer may look complicated at first, but it is quite easy to create, as long as you have some patience.
While the form isn’t too complicated, you do need to ensure that the end product is food safe. This is a great project for any student to take on once they have gotten used to the wheel.
There are quite a few steps to this project, which can make it slightly more challenging compared to the other projects we have mentioned so far. However, the end results are absolutely worth the work.
A butter dish can be functional and decorative in your kitchen. The project is doable by those with beginner skill sets because of the butter dish’s size.
The shape and design of your butte dish is up to you, however, you will construct the butter dish using slabs. You need to ensure the cover is built up high enough to store your butter in.
Another item that can be created on a potter’s wheel is a plate. Making them completely round can take some practice, but “imperfections” give handmade products more personality and uniqueness.
Friends and family will be impressed to eat off a set of plates that you have created.
You can play around with the rims, to create interesting shapes. In addition, you can glaze and decorate the plates with any pattern you wish. Although, it is important to map out the design so that it looks like the plates are a matching set and not random.
If you love animals, then you should try giving sculptures a go. Creating butterflies is a great starting animal for high school students, as the animal consists of very few parts.
In addition, the sculpture can be glazed with various bright glazes to create unique and appealing patterns.
As they are quite small, you could turn your butterflies into pendants or brooches.
Masks are a lot of fun to create, and can allow the students to have plenty of freedom in the design they choose.
There are lots of different masks out there throughout history for your students to take inspiration from. You may ask them to create a mask inspired by a particular time period or for a certain event.
When the festive period comes along, why not get your high school students to create some festive ornaments. These ornaments can be created using simple cookie cutters or stencils.
In addition to this, your students may decorate these ornaments any way they wish. They could add 3D aspects to make the ornaments stand out more.
Then all you need is thread or ribbon to create them into ornaments once they are fired.
If you want your students to create something more delicate, then ask them to create flowers of their choice.
While hand building flowers is a simple project, it does take precision to ensure that the petals aren’t too thick and added in the right way.
Also, due to the broad range of flowers out there, your students can choose their own types of flowers to work on. Additionally, they may wish to create a bouquet filled with different types of flowers.
In most kitchens and bathrooms you will find tiles, hence why not ask your students to create a set of their own tiles. These tiles should be union due to the design that is selected and applied.
This project is very simple, as the tiles are just slabs and the design is up to them. Yet there, your students do need some precision to understand the thickness and the moisture content of their titles.
Due to having so much freedom, the students may do anything with the tiles, but this does mean they need to think about their design and application a lot more.
Conclusion
Ceramics is a great creative outlet for a lot of people, and when teaching ceramics, there are a lot of fun projects to consider.
From creating your own plates, bowls, plant pots and spoon holders, the possibilities are endless. Every type of ceramics is mentioned in this article, to offer a broad range of projects to undertake.
We hope you have enjoyed this article. We have offered you 16 of the best high school and easy ceramic projects you should consider setting for your students.
Both hand building and thrown projects have been mentioned, all of which your students will enjoy having a go at.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
