Clay Clay Everywhere CLAY

Oh myyyyyyy gaaaarrrrrrsssshhhhh! WHY do I do this to myself?  I was feeling all good about my every-class-clay-project-progress in say, November.  Now I'm staring at May with the following grade levels in the middle of or not yet started their clay project: sixth, fifth, third, second and first.  Ummmm, that's a lot of kids?! And a ton of clay?  One day last week I noticed there was literally a clay dust trail out of my room and into the gym.  Beautiful.
Here's some photos of the madness:

Sixth grade bowls drying to go into the kiln.

Fifth grade projects ready to go home

More fifth--don't even ask about the "knife"

Some more fifth (this is the only class that's finished)

Second grade bells drying for the kiln

Still more bells drying

There's so many classes doing so much that I have to think very carefully about how many tubs and boxes I have to store the projects as they dry, come out of the kiln, dry after painting, etc.  

But the students are so excited.  Sixth grade is glazing bowls this week and next with fifth grade using acrylic paint on their projects.  Second will paint with tempera blocks and seal with gloss medium (same with first).  Third? I haven't decided yet.
  
And then I got to school this morning to do the super fun opening of a glaze-fired kiln, only to find I never pushed the button to turn it on!  D'oh!!! That's a first.  BIG SIGH, so the kiln is for real firing today. 

The end of the year is so crazy anyway, it's usually best to just add to the madness rather than fight it. I will [however] do my best to push the button and really fire every time for the rest of the year, 'cause I'm running out of time for any more mess ups.