CLAY RATTLES

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO SUCCESSFULLY CREATE A CLAY RATTLE:

1. MAKE 50-60 BEADS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A PENCIL ERASER (LET BEADS DRY).

2. MAKE 2 MATCHING PINCH POTS (ROLL CLAY INTO A SMALL BALL, POKE THUMB INTO IT, AND THEN PINCH CLAY AGAINST THUMB AND FINGERS TO CREATE AN EVENLY THICK PINCH POT OR BOWL ABOUT ¼ OF AN INCH THICK).

3. SLIP AND SCORE RIMS OF EACH PINCH POT (USING A FORK OR TOOL, SCRATCH THE RIMS OF THE PINCH POTS TO MAKE GROOVES WHICH WILL LOCK TOGETHER WHEN A BIT OF WATER IS ADDED).

4. PUT ½ OF YOUR DRY BEADS INTO A DRY PAPER TOWEL AND PLACE THE PAPER TOWEL OF BEADS INTO ONE OF THE PINCH POTS. YOU DO NOT WANT THE DRY BEADS TO STICK TO THE WALLS OF THE WET PINCH POT!

5. PLACE PINCH POTS TOGETHER TO CONNECT THE RIMS.

6. SMOOTH THE SEAM OF THE CONNECTED PINCH POTS BY RUBBING GENTLY AGAINST THE SEAM WITH A TOOL OR YOUR FINGER.

7. SHAPE THE BODY OF THE RATTLE THAT YOU JUST CREATED. THIS IS THE STAGE WHEN YOU NEED TO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE MAKING SO THAT YOUR RATTLE CAN BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE. YOUR BODY CAN BE ANY SHAPE AS LONG AS IT IS LARGE ENOUGH FOR YOUR BEADS TO MOVE AND MAKE A RATTLE NOISE.

8. BEGIN ADDING YOUR EXTRAS AND DESIGNS (ARMS, LEGS, HANDLES, CARVING DESIGNS, ETC…). *MAKE SURE YOU SLIP AND SCORE EACH TIME YOU ADD PIECES OF CLAY TOGETHER!

9. POKE VENT HOLES INTO EACH HOLLOW AREA OF YOUR RATTLES.

10. CARVE YOUR INITIALS INTO THE BOTTOM OF YOUR RATTLES.

WHILE YOU ARE WORKING WITH YOUR RATTLES, YOU CAN WRAP THEM IN DAMP PAPER TOWELS TO KEEP THEM MOIST (NOT TOO WET THOUGH

—YOU DON’T WANT THEM TO BE SLIMEY). THEN PLACE THEM IN A ZIPLOC BAG AND SEAL IT TO KEEP THE CLAY MOIST!

WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED A RATTLE (MAKING SURE TO POKE THE VENT HOLES AND CARVE YOUR INITIALS) PUT IT IN A BAG WITHOUT

PAPER TOWELS AND LEAVE THE BAG OPEN. THIS ALLOWS YOUR CLAY TO DRY SLOWLY AND IS LESS LIKELY TO CRACK. WHEN THE CLAY IS FIRED, THE PAPERTOWEL BURNS UP AND RELEASES THE BEADS CREATING YOUR RATTLE!