Transformer Robots

This charmer was made from an old iron waffle maker.

My 8th grade class last semester was made up almost entirely of boys. I decided to do alot of sculpture projects with them to keep them motivated and engaged. One of their favorites was this Transformers Robot project.  I went to the local good will and bought a bunch of old appliances. I set them out and let the students go through them and choose the item that caught their attention. The students worked in pairs of two and came up with some very charming robots. We used duct tape and gorilla glue to hold them together, some pieces might have used hot glue but it usually does not stick to plastic or metal. They were also using bottle caps, tin cans and other recycled objects including paint to finish off their pieces. Here are a few examples.

The students loved taking the appliances apart and figuring out how to put them together in new ways.

We even used an old plastic roller wheel suitcase and cd players

Papier Mache

Our Sixth Graders became sculptors with the infamous Papeir Mache Balloon technique.

Step 1.
I have the students design their sculpture first by drawing an oval shape. Then they design a whimsical animal. They can be creative and go with another subject matter if they desire. However, the design must be well developed and colored in as part of the fun is seeing how close to the image the finished sculpture looks.
Step 2. We blow up 9 " balloons, not too full, and then cover them with torn newspaper covered in papier mache mixture. I like the store bought brand that must be mixed with COLD water. The students giggle because of the slimy consistency. They must apply numerous layers - at least 4 to 5, if they get confused you can alternate layers of newspaper and white paper to help keep track. (I also use a white paint palette with a piece of tape to write their name on to store the balloon on.)
Step 3. Teach the students how to add on features such as ears, legs etc with cut out boxes, egg cartons, and tape. Make sure all appendages are really secure.
Step 4. After all the features are secured add an additional of papier mache over the sculpture. this last layer should be white paper.
Step 5. Paint with tempera paint. Make sure the entire piece is covered. Another important aspect is that the artwork stands. This is part of my rubric.

Getting paint for the final step

This piece was supposed to stand on wire legs, but we had  difficulty making it balance with the oversized head.

This is an 8th grade paper mache project