Day 5 in Creepy House - Robot Workshop

Have you ever heard of a book called "Welcome to your Awesome Robot" by Viviane Schwarz?

Well, it is BRILLIANT and FUN and CREATIVE and SUPER CLEVER and guides you through how to make your own robot to wear and activate. 

Here at Cullompton library this morning we have been very busy cutting, sticking, taping, planning, drawing, imagining, yelling, giggling and Robot-ing. 

We had an excellent crowd of kids from age 3 to age 14, and each one of them ended up with their own unique robot. We had robots to help with housework, robots that do your homework for you, robots to test cupcakes, robots that dance, robots that jump, robots whose heads are on hinges, robots who have laser eyes, and so many more.  

We had saved heaps of lids, pots, plastic bottletops, cardboard tubes and cartons to use as buttons, knobs, dials, levers, and shutes. We had a mountain of cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes so the kids had fun selecting their Base Unit to fit over their heads and bodies. Some boxes were big enough to use for the whole robot.  

Kids made armholes and assorted eyeholes - two small holes/ a single cyclops hole/ a long slit or full facial. 

They also added small containers inside to collect coins/food through flap and attached tubes for disposal shutes. One cheeky chap had a coin slot for doing chores! Once they go home they might even add temporary attachments like torches and kitchen tongs! 

It's such fun deciding on stop/start buttons, speed dials, status displays and warnings. Your robot can be made just how you want it! 

I highly recommend the book because it is so clever and has some excellent tips and advice, as well as a lot of inspiration. If you make your own robot, remember to be very careful with scissors and ask an adult for help wit the fiddly bits. And get creative! 

If you would like to read about robots, why not give some of these a try?

Robot Dog by Mark Oliver
No-Bot, the Robot with No Bottom by Sue Hendra
Harry and the Robots by Ian Whybrow
Usborne Stories of Robots
The Heartless Robots by Simon Bartram
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot series by Dav Pilkey and Martin Ontiveros
Astrosaurs- the Robot Raiders by Steve Cole
Norby the Mixed-up Robot by Janet and Isaac Asimov
The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
Operation Robot Storm ()Mythical 9th Division series) by Alex Milway
Dangerous Games: Robot Invasion by various authors
or even the Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve, for older kids and teens. That's got one enormous machine!