We live in a small rural village in the Middle East. We have to be creative to have fun. My family spends a lot of time outside. We walk, hike, play games, and enjoy campfires.
I also like to create things outdoors with wood, dirt, and other materials. When I discovered I could make pottery with natural materials in my backyard, I wanted to try it. Making pottery starts with making clay.
Today, I will tell you how you can make your clay for 100% free anywhere in the world!
Clay is in all dirt. Some places have more clay in the dirt than others. To see if your dirt contains a good amount of clay, pour water on it. If it cracks when it dries, then it has a high concentration of clay. The more clay in the dirt, the easier it is to make a usable slab of clay. Our dirt has a lot of clay in it.
To make clay for pottery, all you have to do is extract the clay from the dirt.
Steps to Make Clay
You need some buckets (big or small), a strainer, water, and of course, dirt.
Step 1: Start by putting the strainer on top of one of the buckets.
Step 2: Fill another bucket ½ to ¾ full of dirt.
Step 3: Then fill the bucket with water. Stir the water into the dirt, so that it is very watery.
Step 4: Wait 2 to 3 minutes (do not touch the mud at all!)
Step 5: Pour the muddy water into the second container with the strainer (ONLY pour the top water into the bucket).
Step 6: Repeat steps 3-5 about 3 times.
Step 7: Dump out the rest of the mud and keep the clay water.
Step 8: Within a few days, the clay will descend to the bottom, and the water will be on the top. Dump out the water so that you have a good clay consistency. To make the drying process faster, you can put the clay into a pillow case to allow the water to drain out of the clay.
Step 9: Once the clay is dry, add a 1:4 ratio of sand to clay (20%). This will help the clay dry properly after you make your clay creation.
When you are all done with that, you have made clay for free!
If you are interested in making your clay, check out this video:
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Now that you have clay, it is time to create fun pottery projects!
If you would like some tips, check out this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AncientPottery\
Heating the Project
The last step is to fire the clay creation to turn it into pottery. Most potters use a kiln, but they are usually around $1000! Well, I have an answer: you can fire clay into pottery with a regular campfire, not a very expensive kiln! To learn how, watch this video:
My family has fun creating clay products. It is an enjoyable, free hobby for everyone wanting a good time.
Some Clay Creations
Below is a slideshow of many of our family members making clay. It shows the property where we live.
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