Parties for Children
Our pottery studio in Highbury, North London, is available for hire for children’s birthday parties
There are two options:
(i) a painting only party (painting our pre-made pottery pieces)
(ii) a party where you can all make your own pottery from wet clay then we fire them in our kiln for you to pick up 2 weeks later.
We do not provide catering but we can make arrangements with our neighbouring cafe to provide sandwiches or other beverages, at additional cost. You are welcome to bring your own cakes and snacks.
Children Parties (2 hours, up to 18 children)
Option 1: Painting ready-made pottery (whole studio)
Price: £28 (per child) for at least 12 children painting or pay for the 12 places . Price includes all costs, including underglazes/paints, stamps, brushes and other materials, staff assistance and kiln firing.
We will close the studio to the public if the party is for more than 12 children or the costs of 12 children are covered. Please let us know if you have any special requirements or requests we can help with.
What happens at a children's Clay Time painting party?
We have had many children's parties at Clay Time and our formula works well for both children and parents.
Roughly the 1:45 hours are divided in the following way:
The first 15 minutes are for arrival, seating and learning how to paint the pottery. The children then spend up to 60 minutes painting. Around 20 minutes is for blowing out candles and eating birthday cake and last 10 minutes to conclude and leave the studio .
Please note that apart from explaining how to paint the pottery and some general tips, the children are left to do their own art work, we found out the hard way that is what they like to do and what they end up doing. We are happy with this and think it works well. We are, of course, very happy to answer any questions during the painting session.
Option 2: Children painting ready-made pottery (a table for 2 to 10)
Price: The average spend is about £19 per child, but this depends on what they choose to paint.
Instead of booking out the whole studio, why not book a table for your child to paint ceramics with their friends and school mates? You just pay for what you paint. This will not allow you to bring cake and food as in option one . This for just the activity itself
Option 3: Pottery party (1:45 hour session with up to 18 children)
Price: £34 (per child) for at least 12 children, covering the cost of making and glazing , all inclusive, as below. Or to pay for 12 places
What happens at a children's Clay Time pottery party?
The children will each have their own wet clay to play or work with, and we will demonstrate how to make a hand built pot such as a pinch pot and paint. After building it they will 'raw glaze' it which means they will apply coloured glaze to the wet clay pot and decorate it as they wish. This is done sitting down, working on a table. It takes about 45 minutes to make and 45 minutes to paint. This gives you a short window for a quick cake and happy birthday song before the end of session. If you want a less involved and more time socialising choose the painting ceramic party above . Staff can help when needed. We fire the pieces ready for picking up just under 3 weeks later.