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Fantastic Tile Panels made with Eastnor Pottery & Brearley Nursery School Pizza oven re-build project with Brearley Nusery School and Eastnor Pottery

One of the Early Years settings I visit on a regular basis is Brearley & Teviot Nursery and Children’s Centre in Birmingham.

At the beginning of each academic year and before the children start, I’m called upon to deliver a series of training and teambuilding sessions for staff. In 2014 we produced this amazing rainbow tile panel designed and executed by the team and each tile representing a member of staff.

More recently, I worked with the children to re-build this magnificent bread oven after it had taken a bit of a bashing over the Summer break. Each day, groups of pupils from all four classes visited me on site to help with the construction. A very messy and invaluable experience with lots of lovely language and communication emerging.

Here’s a selection of comments from the children:

“We’re building a mountain”

“I’m mixing”

“Scary snake”

“I cant roll it it’s too sticky”

“My hands are stuck”

“This clay is soft”

I’ve made a big rock”

“I have play dough in my home – I make waffles”

Early years clay play sessionsI seem to have spent the majority of the Autumn term whizzing up the M5 to work with the children and staff at x3 of the most creative Nursery Schools in Birmingham.

They are Washwood Heath Nursery, Brearley Nursery and Lillian De Lissa Nursery.

Although the driving is tedious at the best of times, the rewards far outweigh the time and effort it takes to get there. Here are a series of photos of clay creations made by the young and totally inspiring minds from all three settings.

…will be enhanced by these lovely, colourful vases created by the staff at Brearley & Teviot Nursery School in Birmingham. The pots were made as part of a staff team day exploring clay skills and creating collaborative work.Pots made on the potter's wheel painted by staff at Brearley & Teviot Nursery School Birmingham as part of a clay team day

Nursery head chef Wendy requested something suitable to display small poses of fresh cut flowers for the children to enjoy whilst they dined.

I think you’ll agree these tick the box!

clay t pot made by nursery school staff in BirminghamDelighted to be back at the fantastic Brearley Nursery School in Birmingham. Spent a couple of sunny September afternoons a week or so ago, pottery teambuilding with the staff.

Teachers and TA’s were given the opportunity to brush up on their potter’s wheel skills as well as creating a collaborative colourful rainbow tile panel for the entrance hall.

They also hand built a tea-set for the children to play with in the class room. Here’s the brilliant T-pot drying out in the Pottery garden.

Clay bread oven made by Jon Williams Andy cox peel and the children at Brearley & Teviot Nursery School in BirminghamEvery once in a while I get to make a bread oven with a group or school. This year I collaborated with Brearley & Teviot Nursery school and Forest School Andy (resident outside practitioner) to produce an oven in one of their outside spaces. Andy built a fantastic base from paving bricks and concrete slabs and then I worked with the children and staff making squidgy bricks from clay, straw and sand. The children took great pleasure in forming the sloppy mix into brick shapes and assembling them around
the sand former. The masterpiece was ‘iced’ with numerous clay decorations
created by the youngsters.

Once thoroughly dry, the oven will have its inaugural firing at the Nursery’s Summer Celebration day where the whole community will get the opportunity to sample freshly baked bread hot from the oven.