Kids' Workshops Are Here! Monsters and Mugs (and something for Valentine's Day, of course!)

Hello, dear Friends of the Staunton Clayground!

We hope that your New Year has gotten off to a fantastic start! Our 2025 pottery classes for grown-ups are up and running, despite a couple of snow delays, and we are so happy to be back with our hands in clay. What we’re realllllyyyyyy excited about right now, though, are our kids’ workshops! The first round of 2025 classes for young creators of various ages is ready to go, so read on to find out more!

Let’s start with monsters (and really, if there are monsters involved, where else would you start?). We have two different workshops, one for kids ages 6–11, and the other for young creators ages 12–16, both taught by that incomparable creator of monsters, our very own Brooke Fawley!

Don’t worry, they’re the friendly sort ;-)

Marvelous Monsters! is a two-hour workshop in two parts, for kids ages 6–11, to be held on Saturday mornings, February 15 & March 1, from 10:30–11:30 am.

Make your very own marvelous monster to take home! In the first session, kids will learn how to hand-build and sculpttheir monstrosities out of clay. In the second session, they will paint them with all kinds of fun underglazes to make them stand out from the crowd! Finished and fired monsters will be ready for pick-up at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 8. Uaaarrrggh!

Don’t worry, they won’t steal your cocoa! They’ll keep it safe for you :-)

Make A Monster Mug! is a four-hour workshop in two parts, for kids ages 12–16, that will run on Saturday afternoons, February 15 & March 1, from 1:00–3:00 pm.

Make every day a terror-ifically monstrous delight by putting your favorite hot beverage in your very own handmade monster mug! In the first session, participants will learn the basics of a foundational hand-building technique, slab-building, so that they can craft their mugs, and will be shown how to transform them into monstrosities of the very best kind! In the second session, they will apply underglaze colors to make their monsters even more wild, wonderful and unique! Fired mugs will be ready for pick up on Saturday, March 8, at 1:00 pm.

From monsters, let’s move on to dragons… well, a very specific dragon: our local Book Dragon!

This dragon wants to be your Valentine!

Join us for Story Time & Paint-Your-Own Ceramic Valentine’s Heart! A Half-Hour Workshop for Kids Ages 5+: Saturday, February 8, at the Book Dragon, from 1:00–2:30 pm, with seatings every half-hour.

Calling all kids ages 5 and up! Come and paint your own handmade Valentine’s Heart at the Book Dragon bookshop, located at 102 W. Beverley Street. Join us for a themed story time and a chance to decorate a clay ornament in the shape of a heart, handmade for you by the Staunton Clayground pottery studio! Parents can browse the shelves while they wait. Valentine’s Hearts will be ready to take home at the end of the session, and kids can collect a treat on their way out the door!

Ticket price: $10 (each additional child, $8.00). We will be seating 8 children at a time, every half hour.

And that’s just what we’ve got starting in February! Stay tuned for additional kids’ workshop news coming soon, with more workshops for young folks of various ages, coming in March and April, both at the Staunton Claygroundstudio and in conjunction with Staunton Parks & Rec, which will be hosted in their facility at Gypsy Hill Park.

Keep watching this space! We can’t wait for you to clay with us 😊

Wishing you a warm and joyful weekend!

Last Call For 2024 Wheel Classes! Our final wheel classes of the year start this week (and one starts today!)

It’s that time of the year! Thinking ahead to the holidays, putting things in the calendar and realizing that they’re going to be happening in 2025! It’s hard to believe. However, there is still so much of 2024 to enjoy! The autumn is still in its full glory and, I don’t know about you, but all of my favorite holidays are yet to come!

What else is still to come? Our last wheel classes of 2024!

We still have spaces in two Pottery Wheel Classes for All-Level Beginners. Join us Wednesday evenings from 6:00–8:00 pm, from October 20–December 11 (with November 27 off for Thanksgiving week).

Or, jump in on our last wheel weekend class of the year, starting today! It will run Saturday afternoons from 3:00–5:00, from October 26–December 7 (with a break on November 30 for Thanksgiving weekend) and there are still two open spots waiting to be claimed! It’s not too late!

Then, for those of you who already know how to throw a basic cylinder or bowl form, we have Beyond Basics on the Pottery Wheel, starting this week and running Tuesday evenings, from 5:00–7:15 pm, October 29–December 17. You can still grab your spot!

All of these classes are great opportunities to learn, play, have fun and make handmade gifts this holiday season!

Also, don’t forget that next weekend is the start of our next Kids’ Workshop: Build A Pinch-Pot Turkey, taking place over two Saturdays, November 2 & 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for kids ages 7–12.

More holiday workshops, along with 2025 wheel and handbuilding classes, are coming soon, so keep an eye on our Classes, Courses & Workshops page and stay tuned for more fun!

Wishing you all a great weekend, and hope to see you soon at the Staunton Clayground!

Two New Pottery Wheel Classes Starting Next Week! Wed. & Thurs. Evenings (Plus a Saturday Kids' Class!)

Hello, dear friends of the Staunton Clayground!

It’s almost mid-September and that means that our new fall classes are getting started next week! It’s hard to believe, but we are so excited that it’s finally time!

If you have been waiting to jump on the pottery wheel, the time is now! We have two Pottery Wheel For All-Level Beginners classes starting!

The first, taught by our brand new teacher Mary Tuttle, who we are very excited to welcome on board, will be on Wednesday evenings from 6:00–8:00 pm, and will run from September 18–October 23. Click here to read the details and register for this class!

The second, taught by Valya Boutenko, who we are so glad is staying on with us after a very successful first 3 courses at the Staunton Clayground this summer, will run on Thursday evenings from 5:00–7:15 pm, from September 19–November 14 (with a break for the week of Halloween, which falls on Thurs., Oct. 31). Click here to read the details and claim your spot in this class!

There are still spots left in both of these classes, but don’t wait too long to claim your place! Sign-ups close on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at noon!

Yes, all of those finished pots are pieces that beginner potters have made in previous courses at the Staunton Clayground!

And don’t forget, our first kids’ class is kicking off next Saturday, September 21, too! From 10 a.m.–12:00 noon on Sat., Sept. 21 and Sat., Oct. 5, kids ages 7–12 can join artist, art teacher and Studio member Christy Pilson to make their very own pinch-pot pumpkin. What a great way to welcome the fall! Click here to read the details and claim a spot!

We have playtime for kids, too! 😃

So grab your spots while you can! The fall is nearly upon us and it’s time to jump in and clay!

None of the classes in this email quite what you’re looking for? Check out our full list of fall classes here!

We’ll see you at the Staunton Clayground!

Our First Kids’ Classes Are Live! Pumpkins, Turkeys, Penguins and Fairy Houses! Woohoo!

Hello, dear Friends of the Staunton Clayground!

It’s been a couple of weeks since we posted our first adult fall classes, and now we are finally ready to begin rolling out our first ever workshops for kids!!! We have chances to build pumpkins, turkeys, fairy houses and penguins! I know a lot of you have been waiting a long time and so, without further ado…

Let’s jump into fall fun! Join us at the Staunton Clayground from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 5, for our first ever kids’ workshop, open to children ages 7–12!

In the first two-hour session, attendees will learn the pottery technique of handbuilding a pinch-pot, which they will then turn into a pumpkin. Two weeks later, they return to decorate their finished creations using underglazes and glazes. Kids will learn skills they can build on to make all kinds of creations in the future!

Pick-up of fired pieces on Saturday, October 12, with plenty of time to enjoy them and incorporate them into Halloween and Thanksgiving decorating!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, kids ages 7–12….

There’s a chill in the air and… do I smell pumpkin pie? That must mean it’s time to get a turkey for your table! Kids ages 7–12 can join us at the Staunton Clayground from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 16 to create your very own ceramic turkey. In the first session, kids will learn how to handbuild a pot using the pinch-pot technique, then add coils and other decorative elements to transform it into a beautiful Thanksgiving bird! In the second session, they’ll use underglazes and glazes to give it color and personality. Turkeys will be ready for pick-up the following Saturday, Nov. 23, in time to grace the holiday table!

This next one is for kids ages 12–100! With Halloween just around the corner and Hogwarts back in session, and there’s magic in the air!

Join us at the Staunton Clayground from 1:00–3:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 5 and from 1:00–3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, and build your very own fairy house. Whether it sits in your garden or on your mantle, it’s sure to attract some faerie folk!

In the first 2.5-hour session, attendees will design and hand-build their house out of clay. Two weeks later, they will return for a 2-hour session to decorate their finished creations using underglazes and glazes. The skills used in this workshop can be applied to make countless artistic creations! Pick-up of fired pieces on Saturday, October 26.

Last but not least, kids ages 6–12… cold days are coming! When I think of winter, I think of wooly scarves, hot cocoa, a blanket of fresh white snow and… penguins! Come join us at the Staunton Clayground from 2:00–3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 7 to build a ceramic penguin!

In the first session, kids will learn how to use clay to build and sculpt their feathered friend. In the second session, they’ll use underglazes and glazes to bring it to joyful life. Penguins will be ready for pick-up the following Saturday, Dec. 14, in time cheer your household through the holiday season and beyond!

We have more special workshops for adults scheduled for October, so look for those postings very soon!

Keep watching this space, and we’ll see you soon at the Staunton Clayground!