Wikijunior:How Things Are Made/Ceramic

What is ceramic ?
Ceramics is clay that is modeled, dried, and fired, usually with a glaze or finish, into a vessel or decorative object. Clay is a natural product dug from the earth, which has decomposed from rock within the earth's crust for millions of years. Decomposition occurs when water erodes the rock, breaks it down, and deposits them.

Ceramic wares must be fired to a temperature high enough to mature the clay, meaning that the high temperature hardens the piece to enable it to hold water. An integral part of this firing is the addition of liquid glaze (it may be painted on or dipped in the glaze) to the surface of the unfired pot, which changes the chemical composition and fuses to the surface of the fired pot. Then, the pottery is called vitreous, meaning it can hold water.

List
All the items have ceramics as their primary materials