Project
Materials

Bird Wings

WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?

Lifesize cardboard bird wings!

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

You will learn to construct wearable wings using various cardboard engineering techniques including scoring & living hinges

STEPS

STEP 1

Build Wing Structure
Lay the three cardboard rectangles side by side. Cut four small pieces of scrap cardboard into rectangles that are about 1"x2.5". Add hot glue to one side of your small rectangle and place it as a bridge between two of the larger cardboard pieces. Make three more bridges so that you have two bridges, or hinges, per side.

STEP 2

Shape Wings
Draw wings on the structure you created. Cut out your wings using a craft knife. Draw a valley in the middle of your bird wings (this will serve as a neckline so make it the size of your neck). Cut out the neck line using your craft knife.

STEP 3

Paint Your Wings
Paint the hinged side of the structure using acrylic or spray paint. Set it aside to dry.

STEP 4

Create Feathers
Fold a stack of 2 or 3 sheets of construction paper into thirds (hot dog style). Draw a feather shape on your folded paper using a pencil or marker. Cut out your feathers using scissors. Repeat this process until you have about 65 feathers

STEP 5

Attach Feathers
Place the hinged/painted side face-down. Starting from the bottom-left corner, attach your feathers to the wing structure using hot glue. Work your way across the bottom of your wings until you've finished the first layer. Make sure to keep the feathers as straight as possible. Start the second layer of feathers. You will have a flap left over on top - fold it over and glue it down, or cut it off.

STEP 6

Make Them Bendy
Flip your wings over so that the hinged/painted side is facing up. Starting with your hinges, use your craft knife to score your wings from top to bottom, every half inch or so, Do this for both sides of your wings.

STEP 7

Add Straps
Make two strips that are long enough to wrap around your upper arm by cutting your scrap cardboard. Lightly score the length of your straps. Attach each end of the strap on top of where you placed your hinges using hot glue. They should look like backpack straps. Make two more straps that fit around your lower arm and attach them near the outer edges of your wings.

WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?

Flapping helps a bird to push itself through the air. On the downstroke, the wing forces the air down, pushing the bird up in the process. At the same time, the wing tip tilts forward to push the air back. This pushes the bird forward. The upstroke raises the wings back into position for the next downstroke. Learn how real bird wings work with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Materials:

  • 3 pieces of cardboard (20"x12" each)
  • Cardboard scraps
  • Acrylic or Spray Paint
  • Assorted colors of construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun
  • Marker
  • Sponge brush or paint brush

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Maker Camp
Maker Camp is a do-it-yourself online resource to help leaders like you organize a summer camp that engages children in making. Our goal is to provide you and your campers with the inspiration and the helpful resources, along with many possible projects to fit a wide range of interests and abilities. The idea is to focus on making as a playful, social activity. Maker Camp provides enough support for anyone to get started. Making provides experiences that help children become self-directed learners and good problem-solvers.
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Please Note

Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Make Community, LLC, disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.

Maker Camp Project Standards

Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

National Core Arts Standards

The National Core Arts Standards are a process that guides educators in providing a unified quality arts education for students in Pre-K through high school. These standards provide goals for Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts with cross-cutting anchors in Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting through art. The Anchor Standards include:
  1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
  2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
  3. Refine and complete artistic work.
  4. Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
  5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
  6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
  7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
  8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
  9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
  10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
  11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
Please visit the website for specific details on how each anchor applies to each discipline.

NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
  • 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.

NGSS MS.Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
  • MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
  • MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.

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