Pinch Pot Day
Mats down, sleeves up, a grapefruit-sized ball of clay each. The whole technique is one sentence: thumb into the middle, then pinch-and-turn, pinch-and-turn, until a pot appears. Kids get it in ninety seconds. The craft is in going slow — thin walls crack, so “thick and proud” is the day-one standard. Make one each, then trade and make a second pot for each other (the trade is the secret ingredient: making a thing FOR someone changes the whole afternoon). Initials pressed into the bottom with a toothpick, then they dry on the windowsill for two days where everyone can watch them become real. Paint day is session two, and the anticipation is part of the design.

