Pottery

Pottery is one of the oldest crafts in the world. People shape soft, wet clay into bowls, cups, pots, and plates. Then they bake the clay in a very hot oven called a kiln. The heat makes the clay turn hard and strong. People have been making pottery for thousands of years.

How Pottery Is Made

First, an artist takes a lump of soft clay. They can roll it, pinch it, or spin it on a potter's wheel. The wheel spins fast and helps shape the clay into round pots. Next, the clay pot is left to dry. Then it goes into a kiln and gets baked. After that, the artist can paint it with bright colors or a shiny glaze. The pot is baked one more time to make the colors stick.

Pottery Long Ago

People made pottery long before there were stores or schools. Ancient people used clay pots to cook food, carry water, and store seeds. The oldest pots ever found are more than 20,000 years old! Every country has its own kind of pottery. Some pots are plain and simple. Others have pretty pictures and fancy shapes.

Fun Facts

• A person who makes pottery is called a potter.
• A kiln can get as hot as 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The potter's wheel was invented more than 5,000 years ago.

Did You Know?

Some pottery found by scientists is so old that it was made before people learned how to farm!