Life Skills

Activity Details

Time needed: 15–20 minutes

Materials needed:

• A lump of air-dry clay the size of a tennis ball 
• Water to moisten the clay, if needed
• A computer, tablet, or phone with internet access 

Setup: 
Pottery is made from clay. With help from an adult, look at some pictures of pottery online. Do you have any pottery in your home? Have you ever seen pottery in a museum or an art gallery? You’re going to learn about pottery in the best way—by making your own!  

Activity:

For thousands of years, people have made pots from clay. Pots do more than hold flowers! People carry water, eat food, and drink with them. In this activity, you’ll make a simple pot called a pinch pot. 

1. Start by rolling your clay into a ball, then use your thumbs to make a dent in it. 

2. Pinch around the dent to make the sides of the pot. Try to keep an even thickness around your pot. If the clay gets too stiff, add a little bit of water.

3. Keep going until your pot is the size and shape you’d like! 

You can use your pot for decoration or to hold small things, like jewelry or coins. Don’t eat or drink from it, though! If you want to eat or drink from pottery, it needs to be glazed and fired. In pottery, firing means to bake the clay until it’s hardened. Clay is fired in very hot ovens called kilns. 

Troop Leaders:  The instructions for all badge steps are available free of charge in your  Girl Scout Volunteer Toolkit.

Girl Scouts at Home activities have been adapted from existing Girl Scout programming and optimized for use at home during a period of social distancing.

Adapted from Step 3 of the Brownie Potter badge. Purchase the Brownie’s It’s Your Planet Badge Activity Set to complete all the requirements and earn the badge.