| Modern materials make interesting and instructive | | | | require an oven to harden. |
| ceramic art education projects easy and fun. Polymer | | | | Middle and upper school students enjoy more |
| clay is a new material, invented during World War II, | | | | advanced projects such as tile-making, and covering |
| which lends itself to many ceramic applications. Not a | | | | existing objects made of other materials, such as |
| mineral clay at all, polymer clay is a form of PVC | | | | cardboard, metal, and glass. Polymer clay is easy to |
| (polyvinyl chloride) with plasticizing agents to make it | | | | work with simple tools found around the house, such |
| soft and workable until it is baked at low temperatures, | | | | as knives, needles, rubber stamps, scissors; and the |
| such as those of an ordinary kitchen oven. As a rule | | | | use of extruders makes it possible to create many |
| of thumb, polymer clay objects should be baked at | | | | interesting shapes. Some project ideas for making |
| between 265° - 275° F (129° - 135° | | | | useful and gift items include vases, candy bowls, votive |
| C) for fifteen minutes per quarter-inch (6 mm) | | | | candle holders, cold drink holders, switch plates, jewelry |
| thickness. Polymer clays are naturally translucent but | | | | boxes, knick-knack shelves, napkin holders, salt and |
| can be made more opaque by the addition of white | | | | pepper wells and shakers, chess and other game |
| china clay or kaolin. Metallic or pearlescent type | | | | pieces, toy animals, picture frames, album covers, and |
| effects can be obtained by adding mica. Thus the | | | | many more. Small flat pieces of baked polymer clay |
| basic material lends itself to many ceramic art | | | | can be used to make mosaics, collages, and basic |
| education techniques. | | | | reliefs as well as incorporated into paintings, since they |
| At primary school levels hand shaped sculptures can | | | | can be decorated with paint, colored pencils, ink, chalk, |
| be created easily and fired in an oven for permanence. | | | | glitter or foil, either applied either on the surface or as |
| Younger children also enjoy making buttons, beads, | | | | inclusion. Acrylic painting on the surface of polymer |
| and other jewelry items such as earrings, pendants, | | | | clay bonds with it upon baking. Polymer clay can pick |
| and barrettes. Not only can basic ceramic working | | | | up and preserve photographs and other images from |
| skills be taught with these simple projects, but the | | | | magazine and newspaper pages. Pasta machines can |
| children derive much satisfaction creating gift items for | | | | be used in working with polymer clay to create unique |
| family members and friends with their own skills and | | | | color gradients in thin polymer clay sheets, which can |
| imaginations. In addition to the traditional polymer clay | | | | be used in conjunction with slump, drape or hump |
| which remains pliant until baked at low temperature, | | | | molds to create serving platters, trays, bowls, and |
| there are also polymer air dry clays which don't even | | | | boxes. |