Early Learning & Teaching with Clay
The Built Environment
Through clay we can facilitate children’s understand of how we occupy the world – through shelters, for play or housing and through the collection, conservation and use of natural resources.
To support the development of the Early Learning Centre’s ‘Eco-cubby’ in 2009-2010 the clay program engaged the children in designing and building various models. An important aspect of the clay program is experiencing how the natural and built environments intersect and, as a starting point for the clay-block houses, the children visited the banks of the Yarra River to build a temporary shelter from fallen palm tree fronds. Some of these were transported back to the centre and various cubby-houses were erected in the playground.
In making the clay-block houses, the children were able to experience play with dry clay blocks made previously by Ann. They also enjoyed designing their own house plans.
The children were able to explore different clay techniques, such as group work to build the whole house, which involved either making their own blocks and joining them together or; joining previously made blocks together with wet clay known as ‘slip’. In doing so, the children were also learning about ‘courses of bricks’ – the laying of one row of bricks on top of another using mortar.
To support the development of the Early Learning Centre’s ‘Eco-cubby’ in 2009-2010 the clay program engaged the children in designing and building various models. An important aspect of the clay program is experiencing how the natural and built environments intersect and, as a starting point for the clay-block houses, the children visited the banks of the Yarra River to build a temporary shelter from fallen palm tree fronds. Some of these were transported back to the centre and various cubby-houses were erected in the playground.
In making the clay-block houses, the children were able to experience play with dry clay blocks made previously by Ann. They also enjoyed designing their own house plans.
The children were able to explore different clay techniques, such as group work to build the whole house, which involved either making their own blocks and joining them together or; joining previously made blocks together with wet clay known as ‘slip’. In doing so, the children were also learning about ‘courses of bricks’ – the laying of one row of bricks on top of another using mortar.