Working with Kids & Glass

[Christal]

Hi ~ I hope your project(s) turned out well.  I work with children in my studio all the time (see:

http://www.artglasscamp.com) and they are so inventive and creative!  I would not put bandaids on their fingers ~ I show them first how to cut themselves.  While this might sound crazy ~ show them that sliding their finger on the edge is bad.  Abruptly sticking their hands into a pile of scraps ~ also bad.  They immediately get it to handle the glass with care.  Warning about the scraps on the table in front of them is also helpful (tiny shards that could wind up in their hands).  Keep some brushes handy so they can push this kind of stuff to the middle of the table.

We also use clear nail polish to “glue” the pieces together.  It will never show after firing….it disappears.  Go to Target or Wallmart & buy the NYC clear polish for less than $1.

Emphasize clean ~ and you might get that 50% of the time!  lol!  They try ~ but it’s amazing how they do not see the fingerprints, etc.  Giving each table of kids a white cotton glove to pass around is very helpful.  They can remove smudges using the fingertips of the gloves.

I like all of the project suggestions people have provided you with!  Key rings & magnets are great!

I have boards I take into classrooms, to ready the projects for transport.  Each board is divided into 8″x8″ compartments, using small strips of screening trim.  Names are written on  blue painters tape ~ and put inside the compartments (removes easy for next group.)  The boards can be stacked~ transported ~ then it’s easy for you to keep track when you load & unload your kiln.

I might avoid the paints with small children.  Then have a tendency to apply this medium way to thickly no matter what you say.  Older kids get it a little better ~ but I have yet to see a project that was beautifully enhanced by adding a lot of paint.

Hope this is helpful!