Why Kindergarten is Awesome!

I love my kindergarten students. Yes, they have the attention span of a gnat, and it's kinda like herding cats or goldfish most days, but they are so easy to please.  Today, we "dunked" our clay textured heart pendants, and strung them on a rainbow shoelace. (I discovered years ago that a bucket or two of acrylic paint with a lot of water allows many to add color quickly.  With the older kids, we dip first, then add details later, but for this project, dipping adds the splash of color needed).  To add a little bling, we strung a few beads on either side of the heart.  I mentioned that they might want to create a pattern, but they were so stinkin' excited to get their little fingers on my beads, that they could not concentrate on a pattern.  And THAT is why Kindergarten is awesome.  A shoestring and a box of beads, and they were in heaven- they strung away, until I cut them off, so that we'd have time to tie the ends all up.  The "Meat" of the lesson was a focus on texture, and basic clay techniques.  We made small slabs, and experimented with a variety of objects to create texture.  I cut out a heart from each one's slab, and then they used some of their left over clay to roll a coil, and create their initial, which we attached to the heart.  I poked holes, and fired, and well, you know the rest!