Glass blowing and glass art are extremely interesting… and the team at Houston Studio Glass put on an exceptionally educational demonstration at their studio not far from downtown Houston back in February of 2004. Here are a few things we learned on our trip (mind you that the group of children who attended were between the ages of 4 and 15 and the trip was FREE):
- We learned about the kiln and how hot the fire must be
- We saw the brittle properties of glass and how heat makes it malleable (they stretched it across the studio and made the kids ‘oooo’ and ‘ahhhh’!)
- We watched glass be blown into different shapes and learned about the different types of objects you can make with glass
- We viewed a gallery of art and objects already made
- We discussed the way glass blowers are able to put different colors into their work and watched them add lines of blue to a white vase
- We learned some of the substances that provide the different colors
- We watched them mold the glass in various ways and add artistic marks on the objects they fired (and learned about the tools they use)
- We talked about how long it takes for the glass to cool
This was an excellent field trip (as far as learning-opportunities go) and a fun one, too. I highly suggest a glass blowing field trip for your homeschool adventures. If you don’t live in Houston, just look up glass blowing in your town. Hopefully there is a studio not far away that will be willing to give you an educational tour or demonstration!
Other Quick Links:Other Field Trips from 2004-5
Homeschool Series
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Sorry, one and a half weeks! Not two…
Frankie – Hey girlie, I wanted to tell you that you should probably not put your name and location on the net. Some wierdos are out there. I am praying for your mission trip and your safe return. I’ll delete your comments. I sent your dad a note for you and the whole family. We love you guys like relations – and miss you a BUNCH. God bless and keep you. With much love from our little family to yours.
Ciao Bella!
We just found out that there is a glass studio near us that has free demonstrations as well. We were just considering a visit but were unsure about the younger children. Sounds like they would enjoy it as well. Will have to check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.
Great Heather! I do remember that the studio preferred older children, but they had a line (tape) set up on the floor that we could not cross and they said that if any younger children came (than say 4 or 5), they had to be in mom’s lap and not allowed to crawl or walk (in case there was glass on the floor). My kids were pretty young at the time… probably barely 5 and barely 7, if I remember correctly. Hope you enjoy your trip! I have seen glass blown twice in my life. The first time was in a little shop in the redwood forest in Washington between Seattle and Vancouver Canada… and then at this studio in Houston. I remember being so fascinated as a kid watching them blow the glass (I was around 7, I think), that I have always been fond of it.