Goodman Ceramic Studio

First lesson in pottery: the studio is not where the name says it is.

Goodman Ceramic Studio is a good bet for a family afternoon from age four, a date with something to do with your hands or a team outing that isn't another karaoke room. Two things trip people up: the address and the small print. The studio is at 71 Ubi Crescent, in the Excalibur Centre, not at Goodman Arts Centre, and firing, glazing, extra pieces and GST are handled differently from class to class. Type Ubi into the app and ask what you'll take home before you pay.

Not on Goodman Road

Plenty of pottery round-ups still send you to Goodman Arts Centre, the former school on Goodman Road that the National Arts Council opened as artist studios in 2011. The name stayed behind; the kilns moved on. The studio has posted a video of the walk from Ubi MRT, which is worth a look before you set off into an industrial estate looking for a pottery class. Its website gives corporate team-building as much space as weekend classes and sells glazes, tools and home kilns on the side, so this is a working studio rather than a craft café.

Which class

The family page is the clearest, with four options. Family Wheel Fun, from age four, has each pair making two or three vessels on the wheel, with the first piece glazed free. Family Animal Fun swaps the wheel for sculpture: everyone makes one creature and colours it with underglazes, though firing is charged separately. A glazing session for one parent and one child is the gentlest start, and Throw and Decorate, from age eight, adds handles, carving and pop-up motifs for children who already want more. Our pick for a first visit with young children is the wheel class: it is the thing they will talk about.

Adults have their own classes. One workshop has you throw a kam cheng, the Peranakan covered jar, and the studio says it qualifies for SG Culture Pass credits. Making a piece of heritage yourself beats looking at one in a museum case, even if yours comes out leaning. Multi-lesson courses in throwing and hand-building have been offered for anyone who gets hooked. The studio's own testimonials mention team events for groups as large as 40.

How to do it well

Go to learn one technique rather than make a dinner service. Nobody can promise your first bowl will be round (ours would not be), and the lopsided one is the one you'll keep. Prices quoted in third-party guides don't always match the studio's current list, so check the studio's own page and ask three questions when you book: what does firing and glazing add, is GST on top, and when do you collect.

Good to know The studio is at 71 Ubi Crescent, Excalibur Centre (nearest MRT Ubi), not Goodman Arts Centre. Family classes start from age four and Throw and Decorate from eight; confirm current prices, firing, glazing, GST and collection timing with the studio before booking.

More hands-on afternoons: our favourite ways to make something and try something.

Goodman Ceramic Studio | Excalibur Centre, 71 Ubi Crescent #01-01/02, Singapore 408571 | Nearest MRT: Ubi or Kaki Bukit