Clay is not the sort of material your average teacher brings happily into the classroom. It's just one of those things that conjures horror visions of insta-mucky mess, everywhere.

But it is increasingly recognised as a material with educational and therapeutic value. And that's not just for the kids - teachers can really enjoy using clay in the classroom too!

To help enthusiastic (and more cynical) teachers, a new publication, Clay Days, the creative use of clay with special children, by Anne Heffernan, has just been published by the Wexford Arts Centre.

The approaches outlined are based on a series of workshops community artist, Anne Heffernan, carried out with a group of students at St Patrick's Special School in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. For further information, contact the Wexford Arts Centre, Cornmarket, Wexford (tel: (053) 23764).