Category: Schools

As a member of St. Jude Children of Hope my family and I get updates and information about children receiving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  This month we received another letter about a little girl who only wanted a Christmas card for her Christmas wish.  To say that the letter left a lasting impact on myself, is an understatement.  I told my class about the letter and they decided that they wanted to give to the kids as well.  So, Mr. Evans 6th grade class made 30-40 Christmas cards and are sending them to the children at St. Jude’s hospital.

The third graders at Jefferson Intermediate School learned in their Enrichment class about pottery, then and now. They learned that the Native Americans took pride in creating their pottery by hand using the methods of pinching and coiling. Archeologists have found many of these primitive pots over the years. In the past pottery was created for practical uses rather than the artwork of the piece.

The students learned the basic method for making coil and pinch pots. The clay we used came from Endicott Clay. The students learned about where and how it was gathered in much the same way the Native Americans gathered their clay from the earth. However, the Native Americans would try to make their clay stronger by mixing other materials into it like sand, plants, or shells. The students learned the clay needed to be kneaded to remove air bubbles. They had to roll the clay into ropes or coils and building them up on top of a round base to make the coil pots. The Native Americans would usually pinch their coils until they blended together so that the pots had smooth surfaces. The students like many artists left their coils to add to the decorative look of the pottery.
The Native Americans would then put their pottery in a fire pit and heat it to around 1,500 degrees. The students clay pots were glazed and sent up to the high school to be fired in a kiln after they air dried. The clay pots were done just in time for Christmas. Most of the students will use their clay pots for gifts.

Before Thanksgiving, Mrs. Shinn’s class read the book entitled Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen. Students took home 2 clothespins, and with the help from family,​ made a clothespin pilgrim and Indian doll to go with the book. Students made the clothespin doll at home. I sent home a clothespin, a note, explaining this a little more. It is one of my favorite books. The students enjoyed the story and the movie made from the book. It has such a sweet message about differences, modern day pilgrims, and accepting others. I was so amazed at all the creative pilgrim and Indian dolls! Thank you for your help with this project and Happy Thanksgiving to all my students and their families!