Materials:
Bailing wire
Needle nose pliers
Slip joint pliers
Side cutters
Cardboard boxes
Paper maché
Orbital sander (or sanding blocks)
Tempera paings
Electric drill
Larry said, " First the wire was purchased at Lowes.
I believe it is called baling wire...it is very cheap (7.95 a roll?)
and a few roles will make 30 to 40 mobiles. You might be able to find
the wire at a farm or ranch store. Next, I purchased needle nose
pliers at Wal-Mart for 2.00 to 3.00 a piece. Each kid needs a pair of
these pliers. I also purchased some slip joint pliers and side
cutters at Wal-Mart for the same price. These tools are used to
make the "jump" connecting rings. The individual shapes were
first cut from a cardboard box and then covered with layers of paper maché
to give the shapes more substance. When dry, the shapes were sanded
using an orbital sander. This produces a product much like balsa wood.
(Note: I have made mobiles like this in the past and have used shoe polish
over the dry tempera. When brushed and polished, the pieces look like
carved wood and have a very nice "feel" to them) Next they were
painted with tempera paint. Kids then drilled the holes with an
electric drill. I used an old 2x6 under the pieces when they were
being drilled. Kids who finished the mobiles early were encouraged to
experiment with the wire by making sculptures."
"I used the video Alexander Calder from the
American Masters series. It was fantastic. A must see. My
7th graders were focused the entire time. I also showed the video Mobiles
How to Create Them by Timothy Rose. I have seen very few good
"how to" videos, but this one is an exception. The middle
section of the video is the most valuable. He gives some good
technical advice regarding the construction of mobiles."
"This was a fun project and the kids enjoyed using actual
tools. One side note...the making of the jump rings (shown in the Rose
video became very popular) Kids made the connection between jump rings
and chain mail. Several kids began to create small pieces of jewelry
including gold painted chains...who would guess! I may use the jewelry
diversion as a major area of study next year."