Friday, 22 February 2013
Teachers, if you want a w
orkshop f or your class that combines a hist ory lesson, with the opportunity for every child to develop their creativity while making their own replica pottery artefact, then you need one of my workshops.
ONE DAY, HANDS-ON, POTTERY WORKSHOPS FOR KS2 & KS3 SCHOOLS
or Shabti figure mould made
orae, Rhytons, Aryballos, Ostraka,
Attic Wares, Votives, Military paintings, Deity Figures, Athlete Figures, Toys,
Much larger projects can be designed and delivered, if you have any ideas f
or projects large or small please contact me.
POTTED HISTORY – GRAHAM TAYLOR
ROMAN, ANGLO-SAXON, TUDOR, GREEK, EGYPTIAN, BRONZE-AGE, VICTORIAN and m
orkshops combine an art and craft
activity with hist ory and are a cost effective, real alternative to a field
trip; I bring a living museum to you. I
present all w orkshops in period costume, using tools and equipment appropriate to the
era. The day begins w orking with the whole class using my
extensive “ ” handling collection, which acts as
a springboard to talk about many aspects of life in the period. While many subjects are covered in an inf P ortable Museum ormative and sometimes hum orous way, these are always pitched at
a level appropriate to the age group, clear but never patronising. I will demonstrate the ways in which the pots
were made, which f or all except the Bronze-Age w orkshop, involves throwing a pot on an
ancient potters wheel, proven to mesmerise the most boisterous class. Every w orkshop has a hands-on element
allowing the children to express their creativity, while engaging in an
activity that involves real technology from the period. By the end of the day the children will have
gained considerable additional inf ormation about the hist orical era covered and will have
produced their own replica artefact to keep.
Other activities that can, on request, f
orm part include Archaeological
Challenges, which encourage the children to look closely at artefacts and
discover the st ories that they can tell us about the people of the past.
The knowledge and skills gained through these activities will equip the children to better appreciate what they see when the next visit a museum, and help them to understand that a potsherd isn't just a "bit of broken pot", it's a piece of the jigsaw of the past and a part of someone’s life.
The structure of the day would n
ormally run as follows but can be tail ored to your school day: 9am to break,
handling collection and demonstration session with the entire class: After
break the class is divided into two or three groups of 10 to 15 children,
I w ork with one group bef ore lunch and two groups after lunch,
f or approx. 40 minutes to 1 hour each,
to complete the hands-on activity. If
time allows there will be a question and answer session at the end of the day,
which can be planned to include parents if required.
Hands-on projects are as follows:Egyptian: Canopic Jar made from pre prepared pot
Greek: Rhyton (Animal head drinking cup) from pre prepared pot
oric: Hand built Neolithic bowl and animal/deity
Roman: Roman Head Pot from pre prepared pot
Anglo Saxon: Hand dec
orated Saxon urn from pre prepared pot
Mediaeval: Knight Jug from pre prepared pot
or a Mediaeval encaustic tile
or: Bellarmine jar made from pre
Civil War: Slipware Plate/bowl made from pre prepared pot
orian: Painted Plate made from pre prepared
The following give an idea of the structure of the day:
The Handling Collection includes: Amph
orae, Samian Ware, Barbotine ware,
lamps, deity figurines, greyware, cooking pots, head pots, m ortaria, altars, incense burners,
Which are used to lead a lesson covering: Trade & produce, the empire, transp
ort, the Roman army, Hadrian’s Wall, the gods, Roman Crafts, domestic
life and much m ore.
The Hands-On Activity: The children will make Head Pots, representations of gods on pots; I will bring along one pre prepared soft clay vessel f
or each child, the children will then
model these to represent a face. At the
end of the day the pots will be taken back to my studio, dried and fired to
make them permanent. Once they are
returned to the school, usually after three to four weeks, they can be painted.
Alternative Activities: Making a Roman Altar
or Making a Roman Samian Bowl (Useful
if a quicker w orkshop is required)
GREEKThe Handling Collection includes: Amph
Which are used to lead a lesson covering: Trade & produce, the arts, the Greek & Spartan armies, the navy, Olympics & athletics, democracy, domestic life and much m
The Hands-On Activity: The children will make Rhytons, animal headed drinking vessels; I will bring along one pre prepared soft clay vessel f
or each child, the children will then
model these to represent their own chosen animal, a handle will be
applied. At the end of the day the pots
will be taken back to my studio, dried and fired to make them permanent. Once they are returned to the school, usually
after three to four weeks, they can be painted.
Alternative Activities: Aryballos making an animal shaped perfume bottle
or Attic Bowl Painting on a pre prepared and fired Greek bowl.
Visit my website at www.pottedhist