I LOVE CLAY. I think clay is the best ever and I was so psyched to begin clay with my 2nd graders. If it was up to me, art class would be all clay all the time. My excitement was contagious; second graders came in ready to sculpt and create.

The idea for this project came from the county database (handy and choc’ full of great lessons, be jealous if you are not in Fulton County) We began by talking about Georgia artist Gregor Turk. His work is featured at the Atl airport and is entitled Latitudes and Legends.

Students were reminded of a map or globe and we talked about an aerial view (view from above) and what an aerial view of an island might look like. Students drew islands in their sketchbooks and used photographs of volcanoes, rainforests, rivers, and sandy beaches for inspiration.

Next, it was time to get messy with clay. 2nd graders rolled out slabs and shaped them to make the base for their islands.

Then, they used a variety of assorted clay tools to create textures and features on their islands.

They created islands with all sorts of wonderful and imaginative features. After being fired in the kiln, it was time to paint with watered down tempera. The islands look like paradise; they are so sunny and bright!