"It came from my brain!" exclaimed fourth-grader Zakilia Ziegler inside a restored railroad station in St. Petersburg.

The part-time hand model was excited to show off the creations she made during a Sunday afternoon workshop.

"All this stuff!" Zakilia said while waving her hand over her sculptures like a model from The Price is Right. Yet, she could have a second career as a chef.

"I made crabby patties with cheese!" Zakilia boasted while showing off her growing plate of food, all made of clay.

"Water makes mud really fast," Heather Tinnaro warns.

The Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg offers a free class for kids on Sunday afternoons where getting dirty is welcome working with clay.

Kneading. Cutting. Shaping. The fun was too much to resist, so moms jump in, too.

Tinnaro created the class after seeing a need for better arts opportunities for young people in Pinellas County.

"It's so neat to see that spark in kids who have never been told they're an artist before," Tinnaro said with a grin.

Students like Zakilia aren't the only ones who have all the fun. On Friday nights, the Morean Center for Clay allows adults to have a seat and play with the potter's wheel.

"I think clay is freeing," Tinnaro shared. "It's fun."

Tinnaro also leads the Friday evening event. She finds adults are looking to get back in touch with their youth-like spirit, like Zakilia. When done, all students get to take everything home.

"I usually tell the kids they may want to put them outside and watch them erode over time and that makes it an art project into a science project," Tinnaro concluded with a laugh.

More information

Classes open to children ages 5-15. They take place at 1 p.m. Sunday. The class will last two hours. Parents must stay with their children for the duration of the workshop. Discover more information.

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