STYROFOAM brand foam crafts

Green Robot

Here's a project that does compute for girls and boys alike! Use your imagination and found objects to create your own personal robot.
   Completion Time - 
1-2 hours
   Designer - 
Kathleen George

Materials

STYROFOAM Brand Foam
  • Cubes, 3", three
  • 2" x 2" x 1" scrap
Other Materials
  • Acrylic craft paint: your color choice
  • Embellishments: push pins, milk bottle caps, flat headed nails, glue bottle tops, marbles, jewelry boxes, brads, sequins, self-stick mirror paper, wooden skewers, beads, wires, chenille stems

Tools

    Instructions

    1. Glue together two 3" cubes for body. Glue the 2" x 2" x 1" piece on top for neck, then glue 3" cube on top for head.
    2. Paint body with acrylic craft paint.
    3. Embellish the robot using craft and recycled items of your choice. Refer to photo for inspiration:
      1. Use self-adhesive mirrored paper to make objects look like metal.
      2. Create chenille stem "springs" by winding chenille stem around a pencil or paintbrush.
      3. Make dials that move by using a thick nail to make a hole in the center of a plastic milk bottle cap; wiggle nail to enlarge hole so that cap moves easily around the nail. Insert nail with bottle cap into body of robot; don't push in too tightly, or dial will not move. Make lines on dial with marker.
      4. Make a "USB port" or "flash drive" by cutting a slit into the STYROFOAM™ brand foam; using a butter knife, slightly widen the slit and smooth the surface until a piece of cardboard can easily slide in and out.
      5. Add a small, hinged compartment with a small jewelry box. Cut into two corners of the box lid, so that one side of lid can be folded back and forth. Glue this hinged side onto the corresponding side of the box bottom, creating a box with a hinged lid. Glue bottom of box onto the robot. Paint box and decorate the inside.
      6. Double your computing power by connecting two robots with a coiled "spring." Glue a glue cap to the end of chenille stem "spring." Make a hole in a second robot using a pencil big enough to accommodate the glue cap. Insert and glue one end of chenille stem into first robot and insert glue cap into second robot.