Robots

1. INSTRUCTION

Make the robot body. Find an empty cardboard box (approximately 18 inches square). It can be any clean, dry box. Draw five 3-inch-diameter circles with a drawing compass on the outside of the box--one on top for the neck, two on the bottom for the legs and one on either side for the arms. The neck hole should be at the centre of the top side of the box. The leg holes need to be equidistant from the outside edges of the bottom of the box to ensure support for the entire robot. The two arms holes should about a third down from the top of the box and directly across from one another (see the green square in the diagram). Cut out the circles with scissors and/or a utility knife. Smooth the inside edges of the holes by cutting off any uneven pieces of cardboard.

2. 2

Make the robot limbs. Find one empty cardboard wrapping paper tube (approximately 30 inches long, 3 inches wide) or any cardboard tube about that size. Cut the tube into five 6-inch lengths with scissors and/or a utility knife--two for the legs, two for the arms and one for the neck. Smooth the edges by cutting off any uneven pieces.

3. 3

Make the limb-to-body connector pieces. Cut a piece(s) of cardboard into eight 6-inch square pieces. Glue one square to one end of each of the limbs and allow to dry. Tape around the seam between the tube and connector for extra support. Open the box, apply glue to each connector square on the tube side, and push the tube through the holes in the box from the inside until the square is against the box. Press the square firmly against the box until they adhere to one another. Tape the connector to the inside of the box for extra support. Tape each limb to the outside of the box as well. Close the box and tape it closed; this is the back of the robot (the red lines and blue rectangles in the diagram).

4. 4

Complete the limbs. Glue and tape the rest of the connectors to the loose ends of the arms and neck. Cut two 9-inch wide, 16-inch-long...