Remember when getting fingerprinted sounded like a really cool activity (when you were five)? Play it up with your kids this holiday season with a gift-generating field trip to one of Calgary’s four paint-your-own-pottery studios.
Kids of all ages (even newborns) can put their paws to work on unfinished pottery (also called bisque) to create holiday gifts soaked in sentimentality that are perfect for their personal fan club (Grandma, Auntie, even special teacher).
We love painting pottery with kids because it’s the perfect blend of easy, accessible and aesthetically pleasing (even messy looks good). Once fired, many ceramics are usable and useful and we know nothing pumps up kids’ self-esteem more than seeing their special creation put to special use by a special person (rather than sitting on a shelf). With that in mind, we recommend choosing an item with a large surface area and no extra parts, such as a coffee mug or plate.
Once your child hits school age, they will likely want to have a say in what they paint. Let them go to town with their own design (you might still want to help with any lettering). Pottery studios have a wide array of stencils and stamps available to help them along.
For the younger set, the easiest course of action is to paint that little palm (or foot) and press it on the item. Pencil in the date, your child’s name and perhaps the name of the recipient and voilà—instant work of art. For an elegant look, try a single coloured mug with a different coloured hand or footprint (our fave is a black print on a white mug).
Tagged under: pottery,gift,child,paint
Category: parenting,family-life
