Simple and Fun Coil Pot Ideas Easy, fun, and inexpensive, this project would make a great coil pot lesson plan for the K-12 level! Watch the video and read on for more coil pot ideas and tips! Jeni Hansen-Gard

If you are a teacher looking for coil pot ideas for your classroom, or if you are new to working with clay, you have come to the right place! Coiling clay and pinch pottery are great projects for the lower grades and for anyone new to ceramics because they are a fantastic way to get to know the nature of clay. 

In this post from Teaching Clay in the Classroom Part 2, Jeni Hansen Gard shares an excellent coil pot idea that is cheap, easy, fun, and has great results. This particular project is perfect for younger grades, but I would argue that the older kids would enjoy it too! –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

This clip was excerpted from Teaching Clay in the Classroom Part 2, which is available in the Ceramic Arts Network Shop. 

Coil building definition: a forming method that uses rope-like coils of a plastic clay body, assembled in successive courses to build up wall of vessel or sculpture.

More Coil Pot Ideas and Tips

This coiling clay technique could also be done in larger vessels such as plastic serving bowls you find at the Dollar Store. If you have any problems with clay sticking to the vessel you use, try spraying with a light coating of vegetable oil or cone starch. You could also try this project in paper bowls such as Chinet brand to avoid sticking.

If you use a stiffer clay, the coil pattern will remain more distinct but you may have to work harder to fill in the gaps between coils. Use a glaze that breaks over texture for a beautiful finish on these pots!

If you use a light-colored clay body, you could also try using some colored clay coils. This video in the archives explains how to make your own colored clay!

**First published in 2018.