Kindergarten – Grade 4
Unpainted Clay Animals & Habitats
Make a pinch pot animal to inspire students learning about habitats and ecosystems! These clay artworks are fired in the kiln but are not painted during the workshop. They are designed to be painted with acrylics back at school.
- Maximum 30 students
- Kindergarten to Grade 3
- Half Day | 10:00 am to 12:00pm
- Air-Dry Clay $13 +hst per student; Minimum $270 +hst
- Kiln-Fired Clay $15 +hst per student; Minimum $300 +hst
Suggested pre-visit activity: study habitats and sketch plants and animals from different habitats. Bring your sketches with you to inspire your clay artwork!
Suggested post-visit activity: Study the animals you created in more detail. Paint your animals with acrylics and display them in dioramas. Students can work in groups to create shared habitats for a class display. Send photos to camryn@theclayandglass.ca and we’ll display them online!
Unpainted Clay Characters
Make a pinch pot character! Use it for storytelling activities back at school. Characters are designed to be painted with acrylics back at school.
- Maximum 30 students
- Kindergarten to Grade 3
- Half Day | 10:00 am to 12:00pm
- Air-Dry Clay $13 +hst per student; Minimum $270 +hst
- Kiln-Fired Clay $15 +hst per student; Minimum $300 +hst
Suggested Pre-visit activity: Fill in a character building sheet and bring it with you to the gallery.
Suggested post-visit activities: Paint your clay characters and write stories about them. Students can work in groups to write or present stories that combine all of their characters.
Fun & Functional Pinch Pots
Explore form and function in the gallery & make your own functional artwork. Pinch pots can be used to make plant pots, bowls, mugs, and more! Items will be glazed for a food safe and dishwasher safe finish.
- Maximum 60 students
- Kindergarten to Grade 4
- Full Day | 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
- $22 + HST per student; Minimum $330 + HST
Grades 5 and Up
Freestyle Clay Workshop
In the classroom: Learn basic hand-building techniques and create pieces that are fun and functional! In the Gallery: Explore the current exhibitions through a guided Gallery tour & activities.
- Maximum 60 students
- Full-Day | 10:00am-2:00pm
- $22 +hst per person. Minimum spend $330 +hst.
- Kiln firing service included.
Symmetrical Plate Workshop
Learn how artists use symmetry! Study plates in the gallery then make your own clay plates, decorated with symmetrical patterns. Items will be glazed for a foodsafe and dishwasher safe finish.
- Maximum 60 students
- Full-Day | 10:00am-2:00pm
- $22+hst per student. Minimum spend $330+hst.
- Kiln-firing service included
Stop Motion Animation (Plasticine, not kiln fired)
Bring short stories to life! Students will work in groups to make plasticine characters and animate them using the Stop Motion Studio app on Ipads.
- Maximum 30 students
- Half Day | 10:00 am to 12:00pm
- $15+ HST per student; Minimum spend $300 + HST
Modern Mythos
Get inspired by ceramics of antiquity to create a ceramic plate that references your own history, or a narrative.
- Maximum 60 students
- Note: this workshop requires pre-visit activities.
- Full-Day | 10:00am-2:00pm
- $25+hst per person. Minimum spend $350+hst.
- Kiln firing service & lesson resources included.
Freestyle Clay Workshop
Learn basic hand-building techniques and create pieces that are fun and functional! The instructor will do a demonstration and then you can create a small project of your choice.
- Maximum 60 students
- Full-Day | 10:00am-2:00pm
- $22 +hst per student. Minimum spend $330+hst.
- Kiln firing service included
Clay Mug Workshop
Create a clay mug from scratch! Roll out a slab of clay to make a mug and decorate it with plant impressions, text, painted designs or ceramic decals. You can create a small vase or pencil holder instead.
- Maximum 30 students
- Half Day | 10:00 am to 12:30pm
- $22+hst per student. Minimum spend $330+hst.
- Kiln firing service included.
NEW! Glass Hanger Workshop
Tour the gallery and decorate a glass window hanger. This workshop includes 45 minutes in the gallery and 1 hour decorating a glass hanger. Groups larger than 20 will be split into two groups to rotate between gallery and the classroom.
- Maximum 30 students
- Half Day | 10:00 am to 12:30pm
- $28+hst per student. Minimum spend $350+hst.
- Kiln-firing service included
Gallery Tour
Discuss and draw artworks in the gallery. Emphasis on building creative confidence and communication skills.
- Maximum 30 students
- For Grade 1 and above
- 1 hour
- Flat rate $150 + HST (additional fees apply if booked outside regular open hours: Tuesday – Friday 11am – 6pm).
The majority of our workshops can be done off-site, right in your own classroom!
The currently available Off-Site Workshop programs are:
Elementary: Unpainted Animals, Unpainted Characters (air-dry only) $13 per person, Fun & Functional Pinch Pots $18 per person.
Secondary: Freestyle $20 per person, and Fused Glass Suncatchers $28 per person.
There is an off-site flat fee of $400 for groups up to 60 students, and an off-site flat fee of $500 for groups up to 90 students.
Off-site visits outside of the Waterloo Region will require an additional fee of $75.
Teacher Resources:
FAQ and Pick Up Information:
When will I know our pieces are ready to be picked up? Where do I pick them up?
You will receive an email when items are ready for pick up at the gallery.
Pick up location: Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, 25 Caroline St North, Waterloo, Ontario. Please come to the front entrance during open hours and ask for items at the gallery shop. Thank you!
Pick-Up Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Friday: 11 am – 5:45 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 4:45 pm
Sunday: 1 – 4:45 pm
Are items foodsafe?
The gallery uses stoneware and fires to cone 6. We typically use 516 clay from Pottery Supply House (PSH). Items from full day workshops are glazed for a foodsafe finish that is dishwasher and microwave safe. Handwashing may prolong the life of your piece.
When can we expect our workshop items to be ready?
Please allow 3-4 weeks for firing time. If you are making a project for a special event, please factor that time in when booking. Small groups or half-day visits may be ready sooner.
Why is there a 3-4 week turnaround time for clay projects?
- Items are air-dried for 1 week before they go in the kiln. This reduces chances that items will explode in the kiln. Then, the item is fired twice. The first firing is called a ‘bisque’ firing, which turns the clay from soft greenware to bisqueware. The second firing happens after the pieces are glazed with a clear coat, adding an extra layer of protection to the object, and also giving it a shiny coating.
- Each kiln firing takes approximately 48 hours for items to slowly heat to up to 1800-2200F and then cool down again so they are safe to touch. The gallery typically does 3 firings per week. Multiple firings are required for glazed items. There is limited kiln capacity and multiple firings are required for large groups.
Kiln process for full day workshops – using underglaze:
- During a full day workshop, groups use a specialist ceramic product called underglaze to add colour to their wet/greenware clay on the same day that they make their artwork. Glazes only work on clay that has been fired already.
- After your workshop, items are bisque fired (approximately 1800F). After being bisque fired, our studio technicians individually hand coat each item in a clear glaze. The glaze we use is transparent and glossy. Then items are put back in the kiln and fired at a higher temperature (approx 2200F).
- Glazed items are dishwasher, microwave, and food safe. Handwashing items may prolong the life of your artwork.
Kiln process for half-day workshops – unpainted:
We do not encourage schools to glaze and fire unpainted items back at school because we cannot guarantee results. Sometimes glaze doesn’t adhere to clay that has already been fired to cone 6. If you would like to use ceramic paints, please consider booking a full day workshop.
Unpainted clay projects are designed to be painted with acrylics back at school (video tutorial coming soon).
Unpainted items are high fired to cone 6 but not glazed (low fire/bisqued items are still brittle).
Is there a rush firing option?
We can offer a 2.5 weeks firing guarantee for an additional fee of $200.
About School Visits:
Teacher Student Ratio
Groups are responsible for bringing the following number of adults to supervise and assist. There is no charge for accompanying adults.
- Pre-school: 1 adult for every 3 students
- Grade 1 – Grade 6: 1 adult to every 6 students
- Grade 7 and up: 1 adult for every 15 students
Timings
- Please arrive 15 minutes before start time and book transportation 15 minutes after end time to give your group time for backpack storage, handwashing, and washroom breaks.
- Full date visits are 10am – 2pm. If you need to leave before 2pm, please alert your instructor when you arrive at the gallery on the day of your visit. We do make a note of requests at time of booking, but the lead teacher is responsible to touching base with gallery instructors when alternate timings have been requested. If you need to leave at 1:30, we can remove 10 minutes from the morning workshop, 10 minutes from lunch, and 10 minutes from the afternoon workshop to shorten the program by 30 minutes without disruption.
- Half Day visits are 10am-12pm for K-8 programs, and 10am-12:30pm for Secondary programs with no lunch break or lunch room.
Lunches – for Full Day Visits
Full Day visits: Please ensure everyone brings weather appropriate clothing for outdoor recess. Full Day visits include 60 minutes for lunch, including outdoor recess. During outdoor recess, gallery staff re-set the classroom for the afternoon workshop.
- For groups of up to 30 children: Lunch Break includes 30 mins eating in the classroom, followed by 30 mins outdoor recess. See map below for directions to Waterloo Park.
- For groups of 30+ children: The classroom/lunchroom cannot accommodate large groups at one time. When weather is nice, groups with 30+ students go outside to eat at Waterloo Park (see map below). During winter months and rainy days, students eat indoors followed by outdoor recess (there is room for 40 students in the classroom and 20 students in the gallery lobby).
French Language / French Immersion
Our team includes a limited number of instructors who speak French. If you request a French Language visit, typically the clay instruction is given in French, the gallery discussion is facilitated in English, and French vocab is incorporated whenever possible.
Book a Private Workshop or Tour
Please contact Camryn Pereira, Public Programs Manager camryn@theclayandglass.ca
(519) 746-1882 x 227 to book a group workshop or find out more about group programs.
We offer both in person and virtual group workshops.