State of Florida - Pottery and History Curriculum Lesson for Homeschooling or Summer Enrichment
Florida
These Pottery Road Trip lessons are a great way to get your child interested in history. I have listed fun facts about Florida. You can just this lesson as-is for a fun afternoon activity, or you can use it to quick off a week long study about Florida. Explore books at the library, do some research online, cook a recipe from Florida or make a lapbook about the state. However you use this lesson, it is sure to be a hit with your kids.
A little history, a little geography and a little pottery... What more could you ask for?
Florida State Facts
State Abbreviation: FL
Capital: Tallahassee
State Nickname: The SunshineState
State Motto: “Wanna Go To The Beach?” Just kidding. “In God We Trust”
State Song: “Swanee River”
State Bird: Mockingbird
State Tree: Palmetto
State Flower: Orange Blossom
State Mammal: Dolphin
State Reptile: Alligator
State Beverage: Orange Juice
Famous People Born in Florida:
Johnny Depp (Arrrr….)
Mandy Moore, actress and singer
Mickey Rourke, actor
Wesley Snipes, actor
Dave Barry, author
Aaron Carter, musician
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, wrestler, actor (Well, that’s a stretch….)
Fun Facts:
Florida has over 1300 miles of coastline and 800 miles of beaches.
America’s oldest city is St. Augustine. It was settled in 1565.
Venice, Florida is the shark tooth capital of the world.
The St. John’s River is one of the few rivers that runs north instead of south.
The American alligator is the largest reptile in North America. The longest recorded length was 19 feet, 2 inches.
For the Sunshine State, what else would we make but an alligator?
Make a coil. This will be the body of the alligator, so the size you make it depends on how big you want your gator to be.
Wet your hand and pinch one end into a point to be the tail. (The water will help the clay slide into place. If you are using polymer clay, omit the water.)
Pinch the other end to make the head.
Squeeze the gator's neck to shape it more like a neck. You should end up with this shape.
Make another small coil.
Break the coil into 4 equal parts to be the legs.
Shape the pieces into legs.
Attach the legs to the gator.
If you don't know how to properly attach two pieces of clay, visit my hub:
- How to Use Real Clay
This is an explanation of the proper way to use "real" clay.
Here's what your gator should look like so far.
Pinch the gator's back to give him scales.
Press your finger into the gator's head to give him eye sockets. This version of this project is to add tiny balls of clay to be the eyeballs. (Or you can just
Now you have a finished gator.
