Pottery Merit Badge

Free Resources and Answers

Time: 2–4 weeks
Difficulty: Moderate
Setting: Indoor, studio
Best For: Scouts interested in art, crafts, hands-on work
Hands-On Level: High
Eagle Required: No

The Pottery merit badge lets you explore what you can make with clay. You will learn how people have used pottery for thousands of years to create useful items and works of art. You will also make pottery pieces of your own.

As you work on the badge, you will learn about clay, pottery tools, and different ways to shape and finish a piece. You will take an idea through each step of the process. This gives you a chance to be creative and solve problems along the way.

Working with clay takes patience and care. You may need to fix mistakes, try a different method, or start again. By the end, you will have new skills and finished pieces that show your effort and creativity.

The requirements for this merit badge were updated effective January 1, 2025.

Download the Pottery Merit Badge Requirements

Pottery Merit Badge Pamphlet

Pottery Merit Badge Printable Requirement Check Off Sheet

Checklist for All Merit Badges

Help with Answers for Pottery Merit Badge Requirements

Find specific helps for some of the Pottery merit badge requirements listed below. Some of these resources will just give the answers. Others will provide engaging ways for older Scouts to introduce these concepts to new Scouts.

• Requirement 1: Safety
• Requirement 2: Pottery Basics
• Requirement 3: Pottery Forms
• Requirement 4: Pottery Terminology
• Requirement 5: Pottery Techniques
• Requirement 6: The Pottery Industry
• Requirement 7: Pottery Knowledge
• Requirement 8: Careers in Pottery
• More Resources

Requirement 1: Pottery Safety

What You Need To Do

Describe the safety rules for pottery tools, equipment, and materials. Cover safe use of hand tools, the potter’s wheel, kilns, clay, and glazes.

Helpful Tips

• Keep the work area clean and free of clutter.
• Use each tool only for its intended purpose.
• Carry sharp tools carefully and store them safely after use.
• Keep hands, tools, and the floor as dry as possible near a potter’s wheel.
• Tie back long hair and secure loose clothing around moving equipment.
• Keep fingers away from moving wheel parts.
• Only trained adults should operate kilns.
• Never touch a kiln while it is hot.
• Keep paper, cloth, and other items away from a hot kiln.
• Follow all directions on glaze and other material labels.
• Use good ventilation when working with glazes and other materials.
• Avoid breathing clay dust. Clean with a wet sponge or mop instead of sweeping dry clay.
• Do not eat or drink while working with pottery materials.
• Wash your hands well after working with clay and glazes.

Resources

• 6 Steps to a Safe Pottery Studio (video)

Leader Tips

• Review the work area before Scouts begin.
• Demonstrate safe tool use before handing out equipment.
• Give close supervision around wheels, sharp tools, and kilns.
• Stop the activity when a safety rule is ignored and correct the problem before continuing.

Requirement 2a: Clay Bodies

What You Need To Do

Describe the properties and ingredients of good clay for hand-building sculpture and for throwing on a wheel. Cover how the needs differ for each method.

Helpful Tips

• A clay body is a mixture of clay and other materials.
• Hand-building clay should be strong enough to hold its shape.
• Grog is crushed fired clay added to some clay bodies.
• Grog gives clay more strength and helps reduce shrinking and cracking.
• Clay for sculpture often contains grog or other coarse material.
• Wheel-throwing clay should be smooth and easy to shape.
• Wheel clay needs good plasticity, so it can stretch and bend without tearing.
• Fine particles make wheel clay easier to shape into even walls.
• Large or rough particles can make wheel throwing harder.
• The amount of water in the clay also affects how easily it can be shaped.

Resources

• Best Clay for Pottery: Hand-Building, Wheel Throwing & Sculpting Explained (video)

Leader Tips

• Show Scouts samples of different clay bodies when possible.
• Let Scouts feel the difference between groggy clay and smooth wheel clay.
• Connect each clay property to the way the clay will be used.
• Keep the focus on strength for hand-building and smooth shaping for wheel work.

Requirement 2b: Types Of Potter’s Wheels

What You Need To Do

Describe how three kinds of potter’s wheels work. Include the power source and how the potter controls the spinning wheel.

Helpful Tips

• An electric wheel uses a motor to spin the wheel head.
• A foot pedal usually controls the speed of an electric wheel.
• An electric wheel can keep a steady speed while the potter shapes the clay.
• A kick wheel has a heavy flywheel near the floor.
• The potter kicks the flywheel with one foot to make the wheel head spin.
• The heavy flywheel keeps spinning after each kick.
• A treadle wheel uses a foot-powered pedal or lever.
• The treadle moves a mechanism connected to the wheel head.
• A treadle wheel lets the potter control the motion with one foot.
• Kick wheels and treadle wheels do not need electricity.
• All three wheel types spin the clay so the potter can make round forms.

Resources

• Selecting a Potter’s Wheel (PDF)
• Pottery Wheels – a Buyers Guide (website)

Leader Tips

• Show Scouts the three wheel types with photos, videos, or real equipment.
• Demonstrate the controls on any wheel available.
• Have Scouts compare how each wheel gets its power.
• Let Scouts connect each wheel type with the way speed is controlled.

Requirement 3: Draw Two Pottery Forms

What You Need To Do

Make two pottery drawings on separate 8 1/2-by-11-inch sheets of paper. Base one drawing on a historical pottery style and create the other from your own design.

Helpful Tips

• Choose a historical pottery style before starting the first drawing.
• A Greek amphora usually has a tall body, narrow neck, and two handles.
• Pueblo pottery often has simple shapes with painted geometric designs.
• Ming porcelain often uses blue designs on a white surface.
• Roman terra sigillata is known for smooth red surfaces and raised decoration.
• Japanese raku pottery often has uneven shapes and varied glaze effects.
• Your original design can be a bowl, vase, jar, cup, or another pottery form.
• Include the full shape of each piece in the drawing.
• Add handles, feet, lids, patterns, or surface decoration when they fit the design.
• Keep the historical drawing close to the style you selected.
• Make the original design your own instead of copying an existing piece.
• Use one full sheet of paper for each drawing.

Resources

• Ancient Greek Pottery Shapes: The Pure and Useful Forms of Greek Vases (website)

Leader Tips

• Provide books, museum images, or other examples of historical pottery styles.
• Help Scouts identify the main features of the style they choose.
• Give Scouts room to make their own design choices.
• Check for two separate drawings on the required paper size.

Requirement 4: Pottery Terms

What You Need To Do

Give the meaning of all 16 pottery terms in the requirement. Be ready to describe each term in your own words.

Helpful Tips

• Bat: A flat disc attached to the wheelhead. The potter shapes clay on it and can remove it with the pottery still in place.
• Wedging: Kneading clay to remove air pockets and make the clay even in texture and moisture.
• Throwing: Shaping clay by hand while it spins on a potter’s wheel.
• Leather hard: Clay that is partly dry and firm but still damp enough for trimming, carving, or adding pieces.
• Bone dry: Clay with no moisture left in it. It is ready for firing but is very fragile.
• Greenware: Pottery that has been shaped and dried but has not yet been fired.
• Bisque: Pottery after its first firing. It is hard but can still absorb glaze.
• Terra-cotta: A low-fired earthenware clay that is usually reddish-brown.
• Grog: Crushed fired clay added to a clay body for strength and less shrinkage.
• Slip: Liquid clay used for joining clay pieces, decorating surfaces, or making pottery in molds.
• Score: To scratch the surfaces of two clay pieces before joining them with slip.
• Earthenware: Pottery fired at a lower temperature. The clay body remains porous unless covered with a suitable glaze.
• Stoneware: Pottery fired at a higher temperature. The finished clay body is hard and dense.
• Porcelain: A fine clay body fired at a high temperature. It can become very hard, smooth, and sometimes slightly translucent.
• Pyrometric cone: A small ceramic cone used during firing. It bends when the proper amount of heat has reached the pottery.
• Glaze: A coating applied to pottery that melts during firing and forms a glass-like surface.

Resources

• Ceramics 101: Clay Vocabulary and Processes (video)
• Ceramic and Pottery Glossary (website)

Leader Tips

• Use real pottery pieces and tools when available.
• Group the terms by tools, clay stages, materials, and firing.
• Ask Scouts to connect each term with pottery work they have completed.
• Check every term before the requirement is finished.

Requirement 5a: Make Three Hand-Built Pots

What You Need To Do

Make a slab pot, a coil pot, and a pinch pot. Decorate each piece with paint, glaze, or another method.

Helpful Tips

• A slab pot starts with flat sheets of rolled clay.
• Cut the slabs into shapes for the base and sides.
• Score and add slip before joining clay pieces.
• A coil pot starts with long ropes of clay.
• Stack the coils to build the walls of the pot.
• Smooth the coils together or leave them visible as part of the design.
• A pinch pot starts with a ball of clay.
• Press a thumb into the center, then pinch the walls into shape.
• Keep the walls as even as possible.
• Let each piece dry fully before firing.
• Decorate each finished piece with paint, glaze, or another surface treatment.

Resources

• How to Make a Slab-Built Cup (video)
• How to Use the Coil Hand Building Technique With Clay (video)
• How to Make a Pinch Pot (video)

Leader Tips

• Demonstrate each hand-building method before Scouts begin.
• Give Scouts enough clay to complete all three forms.
• Check joints and wall thickness before pieces begin drying.
• Give Scouts time to decorate each piece themselves.

Requirement 5b: Make A Sculpture

What You Need To Do

Make a human or animal figurine or another decorative sculpture. Paint, glaze, or otherwise decorate the finished piece.

Helpful Tips

• Start with a simple design that can be made from clay.
• Use solid forms, coils, slabs, or pinch methods to build the shape.
• Keep thick sections from becoming too heavy.
• Hollow out very thick areas when needed for safe firing.
• Score and add slip before attaching separate clay pieces.
• Press attached pieces firmly into place.
• Add details with carving tools or small pieces of clay.
• Texture can show fur, hair, feathers, clothing, or other features.
• Let the sculpture dry slowly and completely before firing.
• Decorate the piece after shaping or firing, based on the method being used.

Resources

• How to Sculpt a Human Face in Clay (video)
• Make a Dragon Out of Clay (video)
• Clay Owl (video)
• Top 5 Sculpting Animals That Look Hard but Super Easy to Make (video)

Leader Tips

• Help Scouts choose designs suited to their experience and available time.
• Watch for thick areas and weak joints before drying begins.
• Give Scouts room to make their own design choices.
• Make sure each Scout completes the decoration.

Requirement 5c: Throw A Functional Form

What You Need To Do

Use a potter’s wheel to make a piece with a practical use. Paint, glaze, or otherwise decorate the finished piece.

Helpful Tips

• A functional form can be a bowl, cup, vase, jar, or similar item.
• Start with a well-wedged ball of clay.
• Place the clay firmly in the center of the wheelhead or bat.
• Center the clay before trying to shape it.
• Open the centered clay to form the inside.
• Pull the walls upward with steady, even pressure.
• Keep the clay wet enough to work but not soaked.
• Use a sponge or tool to smooth the rim.
• Remove extra clay before taking the piece off the wheel.
• Trim the base when the clay reaches the leather-hard stage.
• Add handles or other parts before the clay becomes too dry.
• Decorate the finished piece with paint, glaze, or another method.

Resources

• 5 Steps to Centering Clay on the Wheel (video)
• How to Throw a Cylinder on the Potters Wheel (video)

Leader Tips

• Give Scouts a short wheel demonstration before they begin.
• Stay nearby during centering and early shaping.
• Allow extra clay for practice and restarts.
• Focus on completing one usable form rather than making a perfect piece.

Requirement 5d: Load And Fire A Kiln

What You Need To Do

Help an experienced adult load and fire a kiln, or describe the process in detail. Cover preparation, loading, firing, cooling, and unloading.

Helpful Tips

• Only use a kiln with guidance from an experienced adult.
• Check the kiln, shelves, and posts before loading.
• Make sure all greenware is completely dry before a bisque firing.
• Damp clay can break apart when heated.
• Arrange kiln shelves and posts so heat can move through the kiln.
• Leave space between pottery pieces.
• Glazed surfaces must not touch other pieces.
• Keep glaze off the bottom where the piece touches the kiln shelf.
• Match the firing schedule to the clay and glaze being used.
• Pyrometric cones can show how much heat work has reached the pottery.
• Keep the kiln area clear of paper, cloth, and other items that can burn.
• Let the kiln cool fully before opening it.
• Opening a hot kiln can damage pottery through sudden temperature change.
• Unload pieces carefully after the kiln has cooled.

Resources

• Loading Your Ceramics Kiln for Beginners (video)
• How to Load a Kiln (PDF)

Leader Tips

• Use an experienced potter for any hands-on kiln work.
• Let Scouts take part only in tasks suited to the equipment and setting.
• Walk through each stage before the firing starts.
• Keep Scouts away from hot surfaces and electrical parts.

Requirement 6: The Ceramic Industry

What You Need To Do

Describe the size and range of the ceramic industry in the United States. Give examples of ceramic products other than craft pottery.

Helpful Tips

• The ceramic industry makes products for homes, buildings, medicine, electronics, transportation, and other fields.
• Bricks, roof tiles, floor tiles, and sewer pipes are common ceramic products.
• Toilets, sinks, and other plumbing fixtures can be made from ceramics.
• Electrical insulators use ceramics because the material does not easily conduct electricity.
• Some electronic parts use ceramics because they can handle high heat.
• Dental crowns and some medical implants are made with special ceramics.
• Ceramic materials can be used in engines, brakes, and heat shields.
• Refractory bricks line furnaces and other equipment that reaches very high temperatures.
• Plates, bowls, cookware, and other household products are part of the ceramic industry.
• Advanced ceramics are made for jobs needing strength, heat resistance, or electrical properties.
• The industry includes raw material suppliers, factories, designers, engineers, technicians, and artists.
• Craft pottery is only one small part of the many products made with ceramic materials.

Resources

• What Are Ceramics? (website)

Leader Tips

• Bring in examples or photos from several different industries.
• Ask Scouts to group ceramic products by construction, household, medical, and technical uses.
• Connect familiar items to less common industrial uses.
• Keep the focus on the wide range of ceramic products made in the United States

Requirement 7a: Visit A Kiln Yard

What You Need To Do

With permission from your parent or guardian and approval from your counselor, visit a kiln yard at a college or craft school. Find out how low-fire electric, gas or propane high-fire, wood or salt/soda, and raku kilns work.

Helpful Tips

• An electric kiln uses heating elements powered by electricity.
• Low-fire electric kilns are often used for earthenware and low-fire glazes.
• Gas and propane kilns burn fuel to reach high temperatures.
• High-fire kilns are often used for stoneware and porcelain.
• The amount of oxygen in a gas kiln can affect clay and glaze colors.
• Wood kilns burn wood as fuel and require regular attention during firing.
• Wood ash can land on pottery and create natural surface effects.
• Salt or soda is added during firing in special kilns.
• The vapors react with the clay and create a glazed surface.
• Raku pottery is removed from the kiln while it is still very hot.
• Hot raku pieces may be placed in combustible material to create special surface effects.
• Ask about firing temperatures, fuel, firing time, and safety for each kiln.

Resources

• Types of Kilns (website)

Leader Tips

• Help Scouts arrange a visit where several kiln types can be discussed.
• Encourage Scouts to prepare questions before the visit.
• Ask the host to connect each kiln type with the pottery made in it.
• Review safety rules before entering the kiln area.

Requirement 7b: Visit A Pottery Exhibit Or Studio

What You Need To Do

With permission from your parent or guardian and approval from your counselor, visit a place featuring pottery. Share what you discovered with your counselor after the visit.

Helpful Tips

• Visit a museum, art exhibit, gallery, artists’ co-op, or pottery studio.
• Look for both useful and decorative pottery.
• Compare hand-built pieces with wheel-thrown pieces.
• Look at the shapes, colors, textures, and surface designs.
• Read labels for information about the artist, culture, or time period.
• Look for pottery made from earthenware, stoneware, or porcelain.
• Find examples of different glazing and decorating methods.
• Look for pottery connected to a certain culture or tradition.
• Ask how the artist plans and creates a piece when visiting a studio.
• Take notes during the visit for the discussion with your counselor.
• Choose a few pieces that were especially interesting and be ready to describe them.

Resources

• Ceramics in the US (website)

Leader Tips

• Help Scouts choose a location with a strong pottery collection or working artist.
• Give Scouts a few questions to guide the visit.
• Encourage Scouts to focus on specific pieces instead of trying to remember everything.
• Let Scouts share their own reactions and discoveries with the counselor.

Requirement 7c: Research Pottery History And Culture

What You Need To Do

With permission from your parent or guardian and approval from your counselor, research the historical and cultural importance of pottery. Share your findings with your counselor.

Helpful Tips

• Pottery has been used for thousands of years.
• Early pottery held water, grain, oil, and other supplies.
• Broken pottery pieces can give archaeologists clues about past cultures.
• Shapes and decorations can show where and when pottery was made.
• Greek pottery often showed stories, daily life, and mythology.
• Pueblo pottery often uses forms and designs connected to local traditions.
• Chinese porcelain became known for fine clay, strong firing, and detailed decoration.
• Japanese raku pottery has a strong connection to the tea ceremony.
• Many cultures use pottery in religious or ceremonial settings.
• Pottery can show family traditions, community identity, and local materials.
• Use books, magazines, museum resources, and reliable websites.
• Keep track of the sources used for the research.
• Choose a few clear examples to share with your counselor.

Resources

• Why Pottery Is a Cornerstone of Human History (website)
• History Behind Southwestern Arts: Pottery (video)
• Artifact Exploration: Greek Vases (video)

Leader Tips

• Help Scouts narrow the research to a few cultures or time periods.
• Guide Scouts toward reliable books, museum sites, and other trusted sources.
• Ask Scouts to connect pottery with daily life, history, and culture.
• Let Scouts choose the examples they find most meaningful.

Requirement 8: Careers In Pottery

What You Need To Do

Explore careers connected to pottery and ceramics. Choose one career, research the education, training, and experience needed, then discuss it with your counselor and share why it interests you.

Helpful Tips

• Start by looking at several pottery and ceramics careers.
• Choose one career for deeper research.
• Find out what the person does during a normal workday.
• Check whether the career requires a college degree.
• Look for art classes, technical courses, apprenticeships, or other training.
• Find out how much hands-on experience is usually needed.
• Some careers require a portfolio showing examples of completed work.
• Self-employed potters may also need business and marketing skills.
• Teachers may need a degree and teaching license, depending on where they work.
• Engineering careers usually require college study in engineering or materials science.
• Use reliable career sites, college programs, professional groups, and interviews.
• Be ready to give a personal reason why the career interests you.

Careers To Consider

• Studio potter
• Production potter
• Ceramic artist
• Ceramics teacher
• Pottery instructor
• Ceramic designer
• Ceramic engineer
• Kiln technician
• Art therapist
• Museum curator
• Museum conservator
• Archaeologist
• Gallery owner
• Pottery studio owner

Resources

• Dream Jobs – Potter (video)
• Jobs for Potters (website)

Leader Tips

• Help Scouts compare several careers before choosing one.
• Guide them toward reliable career and education sources.
• Encourage Scouts to connect the career with their own interests and skills.
• Keep the discussion focused on preparation, daily work, and personal interest.

Living History Program Feature for Scouts BSA

The Living History program feature gives Scouts a chance to explore different cultures, times, and ways of life through interactive activities. Scouts can participate in reenactments, create historical personas, and try hands-on projects like making period clothing or cooking with historical recipes. This program connects well with the Pottery merit badge, as Scouts can learn how pottery played a role in daily life in different eras and cultures while creating their own pieces.

Troop meetings and outings in the Living History program include activities for all skill levels. Scouts might play pioneer games, make candles, or even spend a weekend fully in character as part of a historical reenactment. This program helps Scouts experience history in a personal way while learning new skills. The Pottery merit badge fits perfectly with this theme by offering Scouts the chance to explore historical pottery styles and techniques as part of their adventure.

More Merit Badge Resources

The Pottery merit badge gives Scouts a creative way to work with their hands. It fits well within the full merit badge program because it adds an artistic option to a list that includes science, outdoors, trades, and hobbies. Many badges focus on skills or exploration, and Pottery offers something calm and hands-on. Scouts shape clay, learn basic techniques, and see their work take form. This adds balance to the wide range of choices in the program.

It also connects to other artistic or craft badges, such as Sculpture or Art. Scouts who enjoy making things often find Pottery a good next step. It shows how creativity and skill can grow together.

Learn More about Scouts BSA

The Pottery merit badge supports the larger goals of Scouts BSA by building patience, focus, and steady work habits. These skills help Scouts develop leadership and confidence.

It also ties into fitness, citizenship, and personal growth. Working with clay builds coordination. Learning about the history and use of pottery helps Scouts understand different cultures. Finishing a project from start to end teaches responsibility and pride in good work.

What is the Pottery merit badge about?

The Pottery merit badge teaches Scouts how to create pottery using different techniques like hand-building and wheel-throwing. It also covers the history, safety, and cultural importance of pottery.

Do I need any experience with pottery to start the Pottery merit badge?

No, you don’t need any experience. The Pottery merit badge is a great way to learn new skills, even if you’ve never worked with clay before.

What kinds of projects do I need to make for the Pottery merit badge?

You will make several pottery pieces, including a slab pot, a coil pot, and a pinch pot. You’ll also create a decorative sculpture or figurine and throw a functional form on a potter’s wheel.

Do I have to fire the pieces I make?

Yes, firing is an important part of the Pottery merit badge. Firing your pottery makes it strong and durable. You will help or learn how to load and fire a kiln as part of the requirements.

What safety rules do I need to follow?

Safety is very important when working on the Pottery merit badge. You will learn how to safely use tools like carving tools and potter’s wheels, handle materials like glazes, and operate or work near a kiln.

What will I learn about the history of pottery?

You’ll explore how pottery has been used throughout history and its cultural importance in different societies. This helps you understand the role pottery has played in daily life and art.

Are there career opportunities in pottery?

Yes, the Pottery merit badge introduces you to career options like studio potter, ceramics teacher, production potter, ceramic engineer, and more. These careers show how pottery skills can lead to exciting opportunities.

Can I visit a studio or museum for the Pottery merit badge?

Yes, visiting a studio, museum, or art gallery that features pottery is part of the requirements. You will learn more about pottery and share what you discover with your counselor.

Why should I earn the Pottery merit badge?

The Pottery merit badge is a fun way to learn a new skill and explore creativity. It also helps you appreciate art and history while building hands-on skills like patience and problem-solving.

The Pottery merit badge is a hands-on way to learn the art of shaping clay. Scouts explore techniques like hand-building, wheel-throwing, and decorating pottery. They create different types of pieces, including functional pots and decorative sculptures. These projects allow Scouts to express their creativity while building practical skills.

In addition to making pottery, Scouts learn about the history and cultural importance of ceramics. They discover how pottery has been used in daily life and art across different times and cultures. Visiting a studio or museum helps Scouts connect their own work to the broader world of pottery.

Safety is a big part of the Pottery merit badge. Scouts learn how to use tools and materials carefully. They also gain experience with kilns, either by helping to load and fire one or learning how it works. This knowledge is essential for working with pottery safely and effectively.

The Pottery merit badge shows Scouts how pottery is more than just a craft. It is also a connection to history, a tool for creativity, and a potential career path. By earning this badge, Scouts gain confidence and learn skills they can use for a lifetime.