Tips for Succeeding With Clay Art for Visually Impaired Kids

Art lessons in general need careful planning. This is especially true when that art lesson involves children with disabilities and clay art! Visually impaired kids in the classroom means you need to do some careful prior preparation. This can include all the usual things you would do in an art class, such as:

• checking for any potential hazards or dangers (such as glazes for clays that can be toxic)
• getting covering for clothes such as art smocks organized
• setting up a safe and efficient work area (large table tops covered with some heavy grade plastic sheet are ideal as the clay does not stick to the table)
• setting up equipment in easy to access places
• thinking about the movement of children and staff around the room
• talking about the task and planning for the achievement of your learning outcomes

In addition, there are some extra tips for getting ready for clay art. Visually impaired kids in the classroom means it is important to:

• talk to children about the clay and the tools they will use prior to the task
• allow time for touching and experimenting with tools and clay
• ensure the water you use is slightly warmed and that you tell children what temperature it is
• choose a clay which feels nice to touch - some Terra cotta clays can be fairly coarse on the skin, whereas some of the white clays are smother to touch
• remember that some children are tactile defensive - tread cautiously with a new medium

Allow children time to explore the sensations of working with clay. Together, roll it, break pieces off a larger lump, make it into a circle in your palm, see what it feels like when it gets really wet, and see what your hands feel like when the clay and water mix dries on them. Encourage children to explore both the clay itself and the tools they can use to work with it. Some common and easily made tools for working with clay include:

• paddle pop sticks
• sections of ice cream lid cut into shapes with the edges smoothed so they are not sharp
• butter knives
• spoons
• rolling pins made from a section of poly pipe or a section of dowel timber
• pipe cleaners
• lengths of fishing wire with a large button or clothes peg on each end (great for cutting larger pieces of clay easily)

Begin to demonstrate and talk about simple techniques for working with clay at a level that works for your students. Some may find it easier to feel your hands on the clay so they know how to use their arm and finger muscles to work the clay, while others may do better with auditory instructions. Common techniques for clay art include:

• rolling a 'snake' shape and using it to twist around to create a coil (these can form the bottom of pots later as skills develop)
• rolling a ball shape in the palm of your hand (harder than it looks!)
• rolling a lump of clay flat and then using cookie cutters or a butter knife to cut out shapes - poke a small hole in the top of each one to create a class mobile by hanging the shapes with fishing line onto a piece of dowel or a coat hanger

Remember that clay art for visually impaired kids is all about a careful introduction, some experimenting and then the gradual building of tactile skills and integrated senses to create unique pieces of individual art work.