Cut a piece of clay about the size of a stick of butter from the main block using the wire cutting tool. Do this for each student, one for each of the coils they will be creating.
Roll the shape on a flat surface using the palm of the hands, until it elongates. Continue rolling and evening out the shape until it is a 1/2 inch diameter rounded coil. Make it as uniform and round as possible.
Score the edge of the coil with a plastic knife. Use a brush to mix a small piece of clay with water to create what is called slip. It should be a somewhat thick liquid texture when the right consistency. Paint this on the edge where you scored the coil. Slip helps the two pieces of clay stick together.
Wrap the coil in a spiral motion until you either run out of coil or reach the size of the disc you want. If you need to add a coil, score the end of the existing coil and the new coil, paint with slip and attach the new coil by molding them together with your fingers, and continue wrapping. At the end, cut any excess coil off and mold the end in a tapered shape into the outer edge of the disc.
Create a coil pot by making a disc for the bottom, then coiling walls around the outer edge of the disc, building the pot.
Create a holder by attaching small discs at the edges in a circle or square shape, and placing one disc at the bottom as a base. This means coils make up the sides and base of the holder. Coasters are made by simply attaching a pair of coil pieces as handles to the outside edges of a disc, or even leaving the discs plain. Mark each piece on the bottom with a pencil or sharp stick with the student's initials.
Dry the clay. The teacher then fires the clay projects in the kiln. When fired, students can paint the clay with special clay paints or glaze. Re-fire to finish the projects.
Cut a section of clay from the block for each student using the wire cutter. Students should wedge the clay to remove air pockets by first throwing the piece of clay being used on the work surface, then picking it up, kneading it and doing it again. Do this several times until the clay is well worked and no bubbles are trapped inside.
Form shapes to create an animal body, then fins, tails, horns, legs and feet. Students can sketch a fantasy animal on paper and follow their design, or dream it up as they go along. Simple animals such as a fish can be made by flattening the clay into an oblong shape, and cutting it into a fish shape with the plastic knife. Cut out fins and a tail, then mark scales on the body. Roll eyes or whatever other parts the student desires, score and attach them with slip.
Use cookie cutters to make shapes. These can then be linked by scoring and painting with slip, and attaching them together to form pots or decorative tiles. The pots can be made with a bottom base that is a simple round or square, with the cookie cutter shapes creating the sides. A tile can be made by attaching several shapes side by side to form a sort of flat shape collage.
Finish and fire as with the coil projects, drying, firing, painting and then re-firing.
Roll smooth slabs of clay to uniform thickness, edges cut with even lines then scored and painted with slip and closed off. A long rectangle can form a tall vase, then a base can be cut to the size of the bottom opening from a slab the same thickness as the base by tracing the opening on the clay with a circle and cutting it out. Score the bottom of the vase, and the edge of the base, paint with slip and attach the two together.
Create a box by forming five square slabs, one for the base and four for the sides. Score the edges and paint with slip, then attach them together forming a slab box.
Create a lid for a slab project by cutting out a circle or square the same size as the opening of the item. This is dried and fired on its own. You can decorate the lid with a handle or carve a design if desired.
Finish, fire and paint the slab projects the same as the above projects.