So much for my cool idea of making easy terra cotta Greek pots. I’m talking about the ones I referred to in my Ancient Greece Unit Study YouTube video, the ones where you get clay and smoosh it onto the side of a bottle. Then roll a snake to make each handle. The kids loved making the pots. But the pots became aged in a matter of a couple of hours! I do not remember this happening five years ago when I did it last time.
The next day I tried it with a thinner layer of clay. Nope. It still cracked after about two hours. So now this is my recommendation: After forming the shape of the vase, while it’s still wet, use black paint to decorate with Greek figures. Then hold it up and snap a picture. Tell the kids it will mysteriously age because you’ve pretended to go back in time to get it. They will be excited and happy two hours later when they see how old their pots look! Cool after all!
Tags: Ancient Greece, art, crafts, Homeschooling, pottery, unit study
What a great way to turn a potentially disastrous project into something really cool. Neat idea. I am so excited for when Little Bit and I can do projects like this. Thanks so much for sharing!
If you’re clever, you can make any catastrophe look like something good.
What type of paint is best on the clay?
If you read the label on the paint, you will see if it’s compatible with clay. It will tell you specifically if the paint can be used on clay, or if it’s only for paper, wood, etc.