1st Grade Fused Glass Project ~

My son, William, is in 1st grade.

He loves to help in the studio & create his own glass pieces.

He's pretty handy around the studio & often helps me with my production work.

He loves his classmates & teacher so we thought we might like to share a

glass project with the class.  We decided to ask his teacher if she'd consider

 having the kids help create a fused glass platter as a

gift donation to the Anchorage Museum for the 2012 Gala ~ & she said "Yes!"

I pre-cut opal glass, primary colors, in basic shapes.

Each child received a 3 X 3 inch clear blank &

then had free rein to layer, sort, line-up, & create a pattern of their own design.

We discussed safety ~ thus the goggles ~ even though they weren't really needed
it's good to get used to wearing them ~ practice safety!

And the use of tools; safety, how to handle, clean & put away. 

In the studio, this is a must! 

Tools must be put back after use or there

becomes so much disarray that they can't be found & time is lost!

It makes me a little crazy...organized chaos is fine as long as I can find my tools.

And tweezers!  Kids (of all ages) LOVE tools!

I brought big & little tweezers, for picking glass up, & it was a big hit.

Again, not really necessary but the kids love to handle tools like this &

it's fun for me to see how they do ~ it varies quite a bit student to student.

 

As the kids completed their 3X3" squares I placed them in divided boxes

and labeled each square with their name.  Each child also completed a small magnet

& these were also placed in the same labeled space.

Here's a quick shot of the pieces as they were put together by the kids. 

After all the 3X3's & magnets were completed I transported them

back to the studio firing in the kiln.

I created a grid that was drawn on fiber paper so I could lay out the

3X3's & also make a map to keep track of each child's piece.

The grid is filling up....

Almost filled in with a balance of lots of color & some pieces with more "space."

White space is good ~ a little resting spot for the eye.

This helps to create balance in the overall design too.

Here's the glass blank pre-firing.

I decided to fire this at about 1419...below a full fuse

to get a little texture but still allow it to be used as a platter.

There was quite a bit of glass left over so I decided to make a

small platter for William's teacher as a thank you.

She's been a great teacher & open doing new things with the kids.

The kids love her!  Thanks Ms. G~!

Each child also made a magnet ~

I think it's important that they have something to take home to show

their family & have a memory of the process.

A little pocket piece.

Here's the piece post firing.

William got busy making a chart & placing the magnets on a display board.

A fun way for all the kids to look at every one's work.

And another helper peeking around Will....

Thanks Will!  Good job.

Here's the finished platter!

Size:  15" X 15"

Title:  Primary Colors

Thank You First Graders ~ you're amazing!

Now for the "Artist Reception" at school!