Make and do Archives - The Hunt Museum

Clay Through the Ages

Clay Through the Ages

Suitability: 3rd- 6th Class

Duration : 2.15 hours ( including break)

Cost: €5 per pupil, Teachers Go Free

Step into the world of clay and explore its journey through history in this engaging, hands-on workshop! Participants will uncover how ceramics have evolved, from Bronze Age artifacts to modern-day creations, examining pieces from the Hunt Museum’s collection. Through this exploration, students will gain a deeper understanding of how clay has shaped cultures, reflected human creativity, and served both artistic and practical purposes across time.

Workshop Highlights:

  • Discover the properties of clay and its many uses in daily life.
  • Learn how different civilizations developed clay technology for trade, domestic use, and rituals.
  • Create a food vessel using traditional hand-building techniques like pinch pots, coiling, and slab-building.

This workshop offers a unique opportunity to connect with the past while exploring the continuing evolution of clay as an essential material in both art and function.

Science : Materials; Properties and characteristics of materials Materials and change

Environmental Awareness & Care ; Environmental Awareness

Visual Arts ;Clay

History: Early People and Ancient Societies; Bronze Age People, Ancient Greeks; Continuity and Change Over Time

Maths; Shape and Space: 2-D shapes3-D shapes; Symmetry Lines and Angles

 

Five children smiling and sitting in the Hunt Museum, holding various pottery and decorated tiles, conveying excitement and curiosity about ancient artifacts.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

Children focusing intently on clay modelling at a table. A girl in a pink shirt works closely, while others in vibrant attire engage nearby. Creative, focused atmosphere.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

A group of children gathered around a table engaging in a pottery class with an instructor. They appear focused and attentive, working with clay.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

Three smiling children sit in the Hunt Museum near a glass display of ancient pottery. More children sit in the background, creating a lively and curious atmosphere.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

A young girl gazes thoughtfully at ornate, colourful pottery displayed in the Hunt Museum, reflecting interest and curiosity. A woman and child are nearby.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

A guide explains ancient pottery to attentive children through a glass display in the Hunt Museum. The scene feels educational and engaging.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

A woman stands by a display of ornate pottery in the Hunt Museum, engaging a group of seated children. The setting conveys curiosity and learning.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

A group of children and a woman look at The Hunt Museum artifacts behind glass, including a ceramic animal and decorative plates, with a curious, engaged atmosphere.

26-03-2025 Hunt Museum Clay Workshop. Picture: Keith Wiseman

Clay Through the Ages – Introductory Videos for Teachers

The pack starts with a short introduction video to the Three Muses, the Digital Teachers pack and some fun facts about clay.

The second and third videos are instructional videos showing you how to make slip in your classroom, and then to score clay and add slip to attach two pieces of wet clay together so that they are completely bonded when the clay dries. 

The instructional videos are designed to be watched before beginning any of the lessons, as these will help you to prepare what you need before starting!

Instructional Videos

Clay Through the Ages Lesson Plan 4: A Mexican Tree of Life sculpture from Limerick City Gallery of Art

Clay Though the Ages Lesson Plan 3: A porcelain crest-ware pig from the Limerick Museum

Collection Protection

Collection Protection: Primary School students will learn how materials (artefacts/objects) in the Hunt Museum’s Permanent Collection decay and degrade over time. They will also learn about the science of preserving them for the future.

  • Resource 1 is designed for in-class presentation. Students will be introduced to objects in the Hunt Museum’s Permanent Collection. They will be taught how to categorise these objects as organic or inorganic, based on their materials. 
  • Resource 2 is designed to be printed out and used as a hard copy for students. Through a series of practical experiments, students will explore how some of the materials in the Hunt Museum Permanent Collections erode.
  • Resource 3 is a presentation introducing students to methods of preservation and restoration carried out in the Hunt Museum

Science

  • Energy and forces
  • Materials

Visual Art

  • Strand: Painting and colour

Geography

  • Natural Environments
  • Rocks and soils
  • Weather, Climate, and Atmosphere

 

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