Building Furniture Out of Cardboard

For the first semester, a class of TAF Academy middle school students were challenged to build usable furniture out of cardboard.  Easy, you say?  Well, they weren’t allowed to use glue, tape, staples or any kind of bonding agent.  They learned how to design furniture and do what woodworking artisans and craftsmen did when they didn’t use nails to make functional furniture.  This group of students only take art class once per week for 90 minutes at a time, so this task was daunting.

First they had to make small models to test out their new found-skills.  Then they all dug into the recycling bins on campus to secure the types of cardboard they needed.  The pictures I’m sharing with you are a sample of the exemplary work of a group of four students.  Check out the detail and craftsmanship of this table!

These kids took an extra step by taking their learning outside the classroom.  They took a trip to an industrial facility where one of the students’ dads works.  They learned about all the machines used to cut paper and cardboard.  They brought in their design and their materials and instructed the adults on how to make the cuts they needed.  Even though dad thought it would be easier to use glue, the students stuck to the challenge and in the classroom they assembled their table as they designed it.