Middle School Minimalist Classroom. Every year I help decorate classrooms. Every year I edit more. The idea is to direct attention to central points. Uncluttered. Then add layers of information throughout the year. For example, the theme for the school this year is "revolutionary" and it will be revealed according to the syllabus and matching sample compilation of real-life applications. The classroom has all the essential data on the two main walls with billboards, dry erase boards, and projector screens. The other side holds classroom materials and has wall space above the bookshelves. Then there is the large, empty section that we call the "art wall". We added one large banner there and posters and models will be displayed underneath it later on. The inspiration for this classroom is: Japan. We used poster boards & tempera paint for a landscape & a silhouette. Simplicity. We rescued a paper dragon that was created for a Japanese play. Serendipity. Once in a while it's good to have a sudden, complete, or marked change. A revolution. Having a restrained classroom decor is in itself revolutionary. Let's be Radical.
It never fails, we mention rockets to a group of kids and we get their best reaction. It gets even better when we say they have to jump & stomp, crush, squash, clump an object in order to make their creation soar. There are so many versions of stomp rocket launchers. One of them is described in detail at Instructables. The ones we made out of PVC pipes can swivel and point up or to the side. Ours are always made out of discarded items from carpentry shops and repurposed supplies from offices, including the 2-liter bottles. We have had so much fun doing these rocket & launcher workshops throughout the years and it is always great to see a new group of students learning about it for the first time. We guide & encourage them to modify their designs so they can understand the importance of cones & fins and weight & size against constriction & pressure. But my favorite part comes later, after the height & distance is out of our system. This is when we come upon ingenuity & variation. This is when we stop worrying about the tip of the rocket being squashed after it lands. This is the time to be amused by the sound the bottle cap makes when it hits the floor. And we get to see flying birds or bats, ejected human canon balls, thrown pencils, jumbo crayons, and trapeze acts. Then we get to laugh after our paper puppet flew so high it landed on a tree. Then we do it all again. I feel smarter already.This smart pizza box includes a list of fun upcycling activities and the first suggestion is to cut out an outlined circle. The last instruction is to check your local recycling guidelines to dispose of it, which should probably be #1 on the list, but I know why the circle comes first: If the cardboard is oily then it's rubbish. Food stains or oily spots end up on the center and once it's cut out then only a portion of the box gets discarded and the rest can be properly recycled or repurposed with such brilliant ideas as listed on the box:
Now I'll give my idea for number 11: COMPACT DIORAMA I was looking for a way to create a cardboard box that could be displayed as a sculpture as well as a framed wall artwork. While I was making a prototype I realized how much it resembled a pizza box and decided to simplify things. In my search for boxes I discovered the new efforts from Sustainable Forestry Initiatives for certifying cardboard sourcing, and I also learned that the pizza place sells new, unused boxes for about 35 cents each, depending on management. Using these boxes worked out better because I get to expand on the recycling educational part of a workshop. I love it when students realize they can replicate all the work at home and even have two or three more resourceful ideas. It is also better because this box is the perfect size for a compact diorama. There is enough space to have depth and add different interesting elements to the composition. It can have complex cuts on the box itself as well as intricate punched hole designs or backgrounds, or can be simple enough to be a toddler art activity. This one was made by a 3-year-old: Little Hands, Big CreativityWe'll see what we can do with the circles later,
but for sure we won't discard anything. Reuse, repurpose, or properly recycle. |
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