These Earth-friendly robots engage scientific imaginations, creativity, and math skills. How will your Shaper Paper™ robots measure up?

• 1.

  Imagine a robot with special skills! What will it be able to do? Design a miniature robot, with recycled materials and Crayola Shaper Paper™, which can keep your room clean, desalinate ocean water—or do whatever job you choose!

• 2.

  Select a small box, about the size of your palm, to recycle as the body for your robot. You might use a clean juice box, playing card box, or even an empty Crayola Crayon box. Measure the length, width, and depth of the box to determine how much Crayola Shaper Paper™ you need to cover your robot’s body. Measure and mark the Shaper Paper. Fold crisp lines in the paper and gently pull apart or cut the paper. Shaper Paper easily separates on folded lines.

• 3.

  Cover your craft area with newspaper. To attach Shaper Paper to the box, dip a brush in water. Dab brush on a paper towel to remove excess water. Brush one side of the Shaper Paper with a small amount of water. Wrap the box with Shaper Paper with the wet side touching the box.

• 4.

  Experiment with Shaper Paper to create arms, legs, and other body parts for your robot. What skills will your robot have? What accessories does your robot need? Be inventive! Shaper Paper sticks to itself and holds its shape when wet, so be creative with your design! For example, measure and fold rectangles for arms and legs. Create a cube or cylinder for the head. Cut narrow strips for fur or hair.

• 5.

  Attach all of the pieces to your robot’s body by slightly dampening the shaper paper.

• 6.

  Use Crayola Washable Watercolors, Tempera Paints, and/or Markers to add color and life to your robot! For extra sparkle, a pearly look, or sandy texture, brush on Crayola Tempera Mixing Medium. Glue on decorative craft items to complete your imaginative design. Air-dry the robot.

• 7.

  Explain what jobs your creation can do to your classmates. What talents were uncovered with this robot project?

Standards

• LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• LA: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
• LA: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
• MATH: Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
• SCI: Design and construct a model to describe the interactions of systems within an ecosystem in terms of the flow of energy, cycling of matter, and the conditions for a healthy ecosystem.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.

Adaptations

• Students work in teams of two to create an original robot with recycled materials. The prototype is sketched prior to the creation of the 3-D model. Before the 3-D model is started, student members of the team discuss the special powers their robot will have and how these will assist the robot with being a positive citizen in its ecosystem.
• Students research how robots are used in manufacturing, health care, and other fields. What technologies are used? What technologies are still needed? How would your robot assist with this need?
• Students compose a script involving their robots solving a world problem. What is the problem? How will it be safely solved? Be prepared to present the play, using your robots, to classmates.