Chilean School Traditions: Terra Cotta Air-Dry Clay and Wood Crafts Sticks

Many are the traditional arts and crafts that are done at Chilean schools. Terra Cotta Clay and Wood Crafts Sticks are a MUST and the most popular when it comes to the student's supply list. Every year, students all over the country do some modeling during art class or holidays.  

Mother's day is especially popular because of the traditional wooden jewelry box made with  craft sticks. There is no mother in Chile who has not received one of these boxes made by her child as a present.  See the link below to follow a step by step of how to make a wooden jewelry box with craft sticks. 

Como hacer una caja con palitos de helado

Pomaire is a small town in Chile that specializes in pottery using terra cotta clay. The name of this technique in Spanish is alfarería, which is basically ceramic art. 

In Pomaire, generations of families have dedicated their entire lives to ceramic art using various techniques, exclusively hand made. Since the crafts are elaborated with clay extracted from the same sector, it is considered one of a kind in Chile. This is why terra cotta clay is very cheap and safe. Children can play with it with no danger of "cooking" their creation since it is air-dry, and it can be easily reuse adding water to the clay. 

Food is very popular in Pomaire,  it is so good that I could write another post about it, and still not cover everything. This time I will just say that empanadas and pastel de choclo are my favorites ones.

The picture below shows different products made with terra cotta. They really add a touch of authenticity to my kitchen. Guests are curious about them, especially for  "real piggy bank" because you really have to break it in order to get your money.  

It was nice surprise to find the two little pigs from the picture  in a store close to my house. I could't believe that I was holding two chanchitos made out of terra cotta from Chile. Of course I got a couple since the believe is they bring good luck.

Welcome to our Olympics for Kids series! The Olympics are a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about the world and explore cultures together. Today, you can find more about other crafts from various countries thanks to our participating bloggers:


South Africa: The Rainbow Nation, Celebrate Diversity Craft - Multicultural Kid Blogs  Sweden: Kids Dala Horse Craft - Discovering the World Through My Son's Eyes  Chile: Terra Cotta Air-Dry Clay and Wood Crafts Sticks - La Clase de Sra. DuFault  USSR: Traditional Crafts from 15 Soviet Republics - Creative World of Varya
Don't forget that you can also download our Summer Games Unit activity pack to learn more about the world and have fun during the Olympics.