Salt Dough Pinch Pots

When I started teaching some after school art classes a few years ago I would make pots with the children using the clay that comes directly from the earth and needs to be fired. I would have mixed success due to the fact that the children would either find the dough to be stiff and hard to manipulate, or when we added water things would turn into a bit of a mud bath. Admittedly, I am not a natural when it comes to working with clay. When the facility where I fired the pieces closed down my only resort was to switch to a method that would rely on air drying or an oven. I made the pictured pinch pot using a very simple recipe. Since the children that I work with are six and under the salt dough is very easy for them to handle. If the sides of their pots become too thin, they can quickly begin again. And they really enjoy the touch and feel of the dough. It look like bread dough, doesn't it?

The pinch pot dried for about 36 hours and then I painted it with metallic acrylic paint. It give it a nice glazed look. My children made their pots last week and I'm looking forward to seeing how they will paint them.