The concept for make your own:
For five years Bob and Alison Steiner of Steiner Ceramics supported the St James Kindergarten (Grey Lynn) in their fundraising. Our involvement was to donate our service as a way to say thank you for the great experience St James gave to our child who attended the kindergarten.
In 2013 we decided to offer this opportunity to help other institutions in achieving fundraising objectives using creativity for a minimal charge. In 2013 Friends of Avondale Primary School started an initiative to raise funds for a school pool. In 2014 another Auckland School turned a blank wall in to a kids created tile wall.
Contact us for more information and your free sample tile.
How does it work?
1. The kindergarten or school decides on some fundraising objectives.
2. Choose a wall to start building a memory wall of students who have attended.
3. Each student has the option to make two tiles. One for the wall and one to take home.
4. A colourful wall grows over the years at the kindergarten or school for kids to enjoy.
Siblings coming through add their tiles to the wall.
5. Tiles are bought by the student for (a suggested – you determine this) $30 each or $50 for two (one to take home and one for the wall). The price you charge is up to your fundraising committee.
6. Based on 45 students per year buying two tiles each, that is 45 x 2 = 90 x $50 = $4500 per year.
What do you need to do?
1. Schedule a tile making day/s into your planning (April-August), book it with us.
2. Send a note home to parents explaining the project and asking permission for their child to
participate in the project. There should be a part for requesting the number of tiles wanted, costs and their payment options.
3. You now have to start the tile creating process. We will get the clay to you and give you some suggestions as to what might work in terms of making the tile and patterns etc. Ultimately it is the child’s project where they make their own creation. We have some guide lines, such as templates and how much clay to use, to make it successful. After creating the tile, the child chooses the colour of the tile and scratches the colour’s initial (i.e. R,G,Y,B) onto
the back. Their name can be scratched on the front.
4. The tile(s) then need to be dropped off to us and we will bisque fire and glaze to the colour specified by the child.
5. When it’s ready, a time can be arranged for pick up or we can courier the tiles to you.
6. Then mount the tiles on a board which is attached to the designated wall.
7. Lastly have a fabulously fun spring time launch so the whole community can celebrate the
children’s creative works.
This Fundraiser is only available from 15 April to 15 August each year.
What they said:
St James told us that “the kids love coming back to look at their wall tile and it is a great way to keep in touch with their former students. It becomes a place of coming together.”
The feedback received from Friends of Avondale Primary.
“Hello Alison and Bob Below are some of the emails I got from teachers and parents complimenting the tile project. I think most of this praise should really be yours as it would not of happened without you. I really enjoyed working with both of you and thank-you for being so accommodating to our changing needs. I will let you know how the pool project progresses, but already I feel it has being a successful undertaking on a number of levels. The children got to express themselves creatively and the school and parents worked together for a common goal. We will definitely look at doing this again in the future. If you are thinking about making tiles with any other schools or community groups you are most welcome to forward on my contact details. Can’t wait to see the finished tiles.
“What a brilliant combined effort from everyone!!!”
“Very much appreciated by us staff and the children.”
“It ran so smoothly and the children absolutely loved it!”
“145 tiles is an amazing effort!”
“I really enjoyed being involved and working with you. It must be our turn for the fence installation next !… hehe”
“The grand total is going to be around 145 tiles. The children were great, they are natural artists. “
“I enjoyed making them with the students and Steiner ceramics have been great to work with. “
“I enjoyed my day with the children and working with them. I have forgotten how much our little folk become our teachers too. I’m sure their tiles are going shine like beacons in the new pool.”
“what great team spirit”.
“There were heaps of lovely natural found items for the kids to use, shells, toys, lots of groovy shapes. A massive pile of working boards was made up by Merrin’s husband Ben. There were plenty of tools for everyone, it was all very well thought out and catered for.”
“Each day 30 or so balls of clay were rolled flat ready for the children to use, the children were guided into how to create a tile that was totally their own work. The tiles were then carefully laid out, and turned after a day or so to dry evenly. After that the logistics of taking them to be fired would be pretty tricky!”
“It was lovely to be involved in a really special project and the children definitely thought so too!”
For further information or to book a project you can contact us by phone 09 820 5089 or
(Alison 021 1420 968 or Bob 021 26 44 269) or by email alison@steinerceramics.co.nz
