Unit Overview: Students will create ceramic chia pets in order to demonstrate an understanding of ceramic technique such as pinch pots, scoring and slipping, and sgraffito. Students will study chia pets to learn what makes chia pets unique and how they work. Cha-cha-cha-chia! This is a fun and friendly project for students that allows you to talk about fads and the way that they last through the generations. I began by asking students if they knew what a chia pet was. As I presupposed, no one knew. Then I sang the timeless jingle, "Cha-cha-cha-chia!". Suddenly, everyone knew what I was talking about. It is incredible to me that although these students had never had a chia pet before, this five syllable tune was familiar to them and it meant something. We continued talking about chia pets when I posed the question: how do chia pets work? No one was sure how the chia seeds were able to embed into the clay and grow as though it were in soil. It is because of vitrification. Vitrification is the process where clay, upon being fired, becomes more solid and glass-like to the point of being able to hold liquids. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the glaze itself that allows the ceramic to hold water. It is the second firing (firing the bisque-ware) that causes the porous holes in the clay to close to the point of holding a liquid. The vitriciation process is also dependant on what type of clay you use. Terracotta clay has an absorption rate (liquid that will pass through them) of 5-10%. This is why most planters are made from terracotta. Chia pets are also made from terracotta because of the absorption rate and slightly more porous nature of the clay (which allows the seeds to root). After discussing all this important information, students began sketching out their chia pet idea. My only rule was if you can draw it, you can make it. Because some of the schools I worked at did not have terracotta clay, I went with the more common stoneware. Stoneware has an absorption rate of 1-5%. Because of the lower absorption rate, the clay body will resist water better and be less porous, so seeds cannot root. However, the concepts were still taught and the students had a lot of fun.
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