Testing and trialling materials
Back in the classroom, Christine set up stations for students to test and trial material properties. These were typically four-hour sessions during which the students could usually manage to work with two types of materials. They experimented with materials and manipulated them to create an outcome – papier-mâché, knitting, felting, using polymer clay, and making pompoms. Members of each group shared the results of their trials with the others, so that everyone built up a good knowledge of the various materials and their properties.
The brief
The students were given a brief that required them to create a figurine representing their interests or hobbies, and to use their knowledge of materials in developing it. They sketched their design as a stick figure, and then tested and trialled different materials to see what would be most suitable for their purpose. They created the body of their figure from wire, made the head from papier-mâché, and chose their own materials for clothing and props.
