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Next month I am embarking on a project with year 3 at our local primary school. I am organising the make do and mend section of their learning about life for a child in WWII.
We have settled on making dollypeg dolls with the girls and making papier-mache models of a spitfire with the boys. They are making a toy that they could take with them during evacuation.
The idea is that we design a paper pattern that they can cut out in cardboard. They can then insert the wings into the fuselage and then the tail wings into the tail fin. I then plan for them to papier mache these with strips of newspaper and allow to dry. Then to finish with another layer of sugar paper (grey) before painting and then pva varnishing.
This is a totally new experience for me and I would like to engineer the design so that we can actually launch these and hopefully get them to glide (I do realise that the spitfire wasn't exactly designed to glide).
Any hints on model building would be greatly appreciated. I am restricted a little by time and a lot by ingredients. Health and safety dictates that they may only use pva and water (no flour paste authenticity allowed). Also they are only 7 and so the simpler the design the better.
I start after half term but have to have timed and written up the lesson plan for both the doll and plane well before as I have promised the teacher that she can have them in the next couple of weeks. :oops:
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Just some theory here.
I suspect that the main problem might be the arrangement of weight. Like a kite, if there is excess weight in the front, or not enough in the tail, it may arc into a fast dive.
You might let them do as they please, being sure they don't add propellers to ruin the aerodynamics. Let them finish, and try to fly them.
Any that instantly go into a dive, maybe you could apply weights to the back (probably the area of the fusilage, under the tail). Maybe BBs or tiny fishing weights could be hot-glued on? Would that be allowed if you did the hot-gluing?
Just remember that the 'lift' for the plane is created by air flowing over the TOPS of the wings, not the underneath part, so the smoother the tops of the wings, the better.
Sue
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Thanks,
sadly hot gluing is out of the question, even if health and safety didn't forbid it in the primary school it is something that WWII children wouldn't have had access to anyway (neither was PVA but we are plagued by the H&S police in primary education).
Your idea about fishing weights however is an excellent one as most boys had access to those, I did consider making pretend shell casings as they were something my Dad remembers playing with.
I also think that you are right about letting them work out the aerodynamics for themselves. If I give them the principles of weight then they can apply them and find out how they work.
Somehow the peg dolls for the girls seem so easy by comparison. Although I am going to be working with a group of kids that have never picked up a needle and cotton before so may be teaching the basics of sewing before we even start on the dolls
I am so looking forward to this, I start training as a primary school teacher this September and plan to make PM a key skill for the classroom.
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Oh, sorry! I didn't pick up on the use of period materials. The PVA threw me off.
The fishing weights might still work, or even small coins, and could be glued on with a single small strip of PM.
Your schools are so superior to ours. I doubt that the kids in American schools are taught more than a minute of WWII. A woman with whom I work recently asked me 1) what scurvy is, and 2) what the Revolutionary War was. She's 40 yrs old. Sigh.
Sue
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Luckily we haven't quite had all the creativity squashed out of our state education yet (not through lack of trying on the part of all politicians regardless of their politcal views). I am also lucky that our primaries are very keen on keeping strong family links so parents are actively encouraged to give some time up and come in.
You're right the pva threw me as well. I had originally planned to get them to make flour paste (just like my mum did at the same age) That was sadly vetoed. So I have to substitute modern school materials where necessary. However I am trying to make the experience as hands on as possible and hope to light a few creative fires in the process.
It sounds like the class teacher has a great project in mind, they are going to be carrying gas masks, will present ration coupons for lunch, they are going to be "evacuated" if they can get this to work, and the music room is going to be converted into an air raid shelter. They also plan to turn the classroom into an old fashioned school room for a day and teach them some lessons in the old style.
I wish we had done something like this when I was at school. You learn so much more from experiencing something than you do from just having it read to you.
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I remember my daughter doing her project they had to make papier mache suitcases and make three small items to go inside that would remind them of home if they were evacuated.
Sue
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That sounds like an ambitious project, especially the spitfires.
I suggest Googling images of the spitfire, and get as many you can. I'm pretty sure that you'll find that the wheels are far enough forward that counter weights won't be necessary. However, if counterweight is necessary, fishing weights oughtta work fine.
For fuselage construction, you can use toilet inserts. Use a half one (or whatever looks right) for the main body. Cut another and tape into a cone for the tail. How to make the wings and tail, well, I dunno. Erm, can I suggest (don't hit me) paper clay over a doubled layer of thick paper?
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Thanks Len, I like the idea of the toilet rolls cut down to the right shape but giving the curve. Paperclay is out, mainly as it doesn't qualify as a make do and mend material and also expense.
I am going to start the first drawings today, having got some good stuff off the net. Also am off to buy dolly pegs and start designing faces and dresses.
I like this kind of project it's getting to be a lot of fun
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Thank goodness for the British tendency to form societies in support of anything. The British Spitfire Society have sent me the most fantastic patterns for both a classic mark 2 Spitfire and a Hurricane. I have shape, design and markings guides for the boys to work from. I plan to build one of each and time the stages so that I can run the lesson plan accordingly.
Best to all,
Charlotte
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Thank goodness for the British tendency to form societies in support of anything. The British Spitfire Society have sent me the most fantastic patterns for both a classic mark 2 Spitfire and a Hurricane. I have shape, design and markings guides for the boys to work from. I plan to build one of each and time the stages so that I can run the lesson plan accordingly.
Best to all,
Charlotte
Wow! How can I get that? I have a friend whose into airplanes, especially vintage. He's 82 years old now, but he used to be a pilot, and flew in WW2. Tell me how to contact them please!
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Len I have e-mailed you the web address.
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Can anyone tell me is sugar paper is any good for pm (I am considering using it for the aeroplanes, 2 layers of newspaper and one layer of grey sugar paper strips before painting. I want the models strong but light weight. They will be making the fuselage et al from cereal packets cutting 2 pieces for each section and laminating them together.
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Funny you should ask that I'm just making a bowl from sugar paper which I have not used before. I did find it requires a bit of soaking to soften the paper so you can work it. I'll let you know.
I'm pretty sure Catperson was talking about sugar paper the other day.
Sue
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I've never even heard the term "sugar paper".
I think my last reference to paper was watercolor paper, a rather thick, textured paper.
Sue
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Apologies. My mistake.
Sugar paper is usually the stuff scrap books are made of quite thick fibrous paper used a lot in schools.
Sue
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Paperclay is out, mainly as it doesn't qualify as a make do and mend material
???!!!
It's a fine finishing material. It also mends! This stuff is great!
Not qualified, indeed!
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Sorry Len,
when I said it didn't qualify what I meant was it would not have been a readily available house hold scrap item.
What we are doing is teaching the children how to make themselves toys out of the everday and throw away items in a 1940's home. We hope to teach them how to make something out of "nothing".
Hence, cardboard, newspaper, dolly pegs and rag bag material. The sugar paper is to replicate the sugar paper bags from 1940. Sadly modern Health and Safety will not let me boil up flour paste with them so we are having to use PVA. Otherwise we aim to try and use as little modern craft items as possible.
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Oops! Okay, I see.
erm........
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Sue (snoozysnowshoes) and or anyonen else in the know, have you tried laminating sugar paper?
I am proposing that the final layer of the planes be sugar paper stuck onto the body of the planes, not in torn strips but in single pieces cut from the patterns. Will it work? bearing in mind that the glue has to be PVA, either thick or watered
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Hi Charlotte
Never tried but it might work as you would have to soak it to laminate. It's a bit of a tuff old bird sugar paper needs a little persuasion if you know what i mean 
,
Sue
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Sugar bag paper was always blue, I filled many pounds of sugar into bags in my first part time job! Do you have a ration book? I have one of the later ones which still has lots of pages in it, I could scan if for you if you would be interested.
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Sorry just realised this is all finished and done now and I have resurrected an old thread. Ooops.
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Well, we finished today and I have just posted the planes in my gallery space, charlotte hills. I am so proud of my year 3's. They have made some fantastic planes, the girls made some wonderful peg dolls.
I learnt a lot and I am hoping they did too.
Didn't they do well?
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Just having a look in the gallery and came across the year three planes.They are fantastic what a good job, the kids must be really pleased.
Sue
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