| In the world in which we live, children are faced | | | | child interested or the lessons will be a waste of |
| with many temptations, good and bad. It is in our | | | | time and money resulting in the opposite effect |
| best interests as parents to tip the scales in favor | | | | of what you are hoping to achieve. |
| of the good temptations our children will face | | | | Most communities offer some sort of art classes |
| whenever possible by giving them plenty of skills, | | | | that include pottery sessions for children. Larger |
| talents, and creative outlets upon which to exert | | | | communities will have classes for children that |
| their energy and focus. Sports are great but | | | | specifically deal with pottery. If you are fortunate |
| most sports are limited to seasons. This leaves | | | | enough to live in one of these communities it is a |
| parents looking for things to keep their children's | | | | great field to introduce your little ones too as you |
| active minds involved and occupied during the off | | | | never know when true talent may show itself. If |
| seasons for their favorite sports. | | | | your child does display a good deal of talent or an |
| Pottery lessons are a great way to give kids a | | | | avid interest in pursuing pottery further there are |
| creative focus while helping them develop quiet | | | | generally classes that can be taken for those who |
| activities they can enjoy. This also keeps them | | | | have had the basics and are ready to move on |
| too busy to spend a lot of time on activities that | | | | to some of the more advanced skills. |
| are detrimental and hopefully will fill the time that | | | | Some art schools and community-based |
| may otherwise be spent falling into the wrong | | | | organizations will even offer scholarships to some |
| crowd. More importantly, there are very few gifts | | | | students if there is sufficient talent and a financial |
| you can give your children that are better than | | | | need so the costs of these classes aren't often |
| the gift of being able to create something | | | | too terribly high. Most communities do make a |
| beautiful, practical, useful, or simply unique and | | | | concerted effort to keep the costs of these |
| different from a lump of clay. Pottery is doing | | | | classes low in order to provide more productive |
| just that. | | | | outlets for children and be a positive force in the |
| First lessons for children should be simple and not | | | | lives of the children that will one day be the |
| too aggressive. Let your child set his or her own | | | | future of our nation. |
| pace for pottery lessons and don't push him or | | | | If you haven't considered giving the gift of |
| her to go too far too fast. Like most things in life, | | | | pottery lessons to your children as both a |
| your child will need to learn to crawl before he or | | | | creative outlet and the opportunity to build |
| she walks in the field of pottery. This often | | | | something rather than destroy I hope you will do |
| means learning the intricacies of hand building with | | | | so after reading this. Giving the gift of creation to |
| clay before moving on to the potter's wheel | | | | anyone is a great gift. Teaching your children |
| though your child may choose to move on to the | | | | when they are young sets the stage for even |
| wheel and show no interest in hand building at all. | | | | greater lessons to come. |
| The most important thing is that you keep your | | | | |