Clay Animal Effigy

Mrs. Luciani's 5th Grade Class

For this project, students experimented with clay and made an animal effigy bowl.

Before starting the project, students learned about different ancient cultures that made animal effigies. An animal effigy is an object that is made to look like an animal. The art in these ancient cultures was not only interesting to look at, but also functional. Some cultures made ceramic animal effigy bowls and used them for different purposes. Ancient cultures in Central America used their animal effigies for spiritual purposes and had a deep connection to nature and the animals that lived in their area. In ancient Egypt, they made animal effigies to resemble animal gods and goddesses, and they stored organs of dead people in them as part of the burial process.

Students could make their clay effigy look like any animal they wanted, and drew a sketch of their animal before making their pinch pot. To get some ideas before starting, students looked at pictures of animals, looked up animals and character traits associated with them, and brainstormed animals they thought were similar to themselves.


They learned how to make a pinch pot out of clay, how to sculpt clay in different ways, and how to add texture to clay. They also learned about different properties of clay and important processes you need to do in order to have a successful clay sculpture. After firing the animal effigies in a kiln, the students painted them with watercolor paints and a layer of Mod Podge.