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!