Build a Sustainability Robot

Rediscover thanks Alex Wilensky, María José Urrestarazu, and Hannah Dahl for their contributions to our curriculum library, including this project!

In this activity, you will build a robot out of upcycled materials. This activity guide is inspired by Junkbots: Robots from Recycled Materials. Single-use plastics are among the leading causes of environmental pollution and landfill growth. Most post-consumer plastic put in recycling bins is downcycled or trashed at a recycling center. We will focus on making robots using these materials for creative reuse.

Read any of the titles recommended below for stories about the climate crisis and robots:

Old Enough to Save the Planet by Loll Kirby, illustrated by Adelina Lirius.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Consider checking these books out from your local library or buying from Village Well Books, a Rediscover community partner in Culver City, CA.

Let’s discuss for a moment…

What is climate change? How would you describe climate change?
How does climate change affect the planet? How does it affect the people and living creatures that live on Earth?
What are things in your neighborhood that you would want to change to improve the environment?
How do you take care of the planet already? What can you do to take care of the planet/earth?

Think about how can you rediscover new uses for discarded items! How can we reuse single-use plastic or paper items as an art material? What interestingly shaped objects do you have sitting in a junk drawer (be sure to check with an adult that it's OK to use "junk" items to make your junkbot)? How can you incorporate a material from nature into your junkbot so it has both natural and upcycled materials? We recommend gathering the items listed below.

Materials

Cardboard
Scrap paper
Wire
Corks / Bottlecaps
Yarn
Aluminum foil
Nature items (twigs, leaves, seedpods, rocks, petals)
Toilet paper & paper towel cardboard rolls
Plastic bottles
Takeout boxes
Egg cartons

Tools

Canary Cutter or Scissors
- Depending on the thickness of your piece of cardboard.
Screwdriver or awl
Tape/glue stick
Markers
Glue/hot glue gun
School glue

Many of these tools can be found in our Tinkering Toolkit.

Consider using the following adhesive techniques with different material combinations:

Use tape, liquid glue or glue sticks when sticking...:

paper on paper
paper on cardboard
leaves on paper and cardboard
paperboard with all of the above

Use tape or hot glue when sticking...:

plastic on cardboard
plastic on paper
plastic on plastic
tin on plastic

When using string, try...:

tying the string to other materials
poking holes on cardboard, plastic, or paperboard to loop the string into your robot

**PRO-TIP: Try different ways to use maker tools; art is experimental! It's okay to experiment as long as you use the tools safely. Ask a grown-up for guidance or watch our Tiny Techniques videos for how-tos.