Let's begin
Byiringiro walks home past the market in Kigali. He has no toy car. But he has a flat piece of an old box, four bottle tops and two thin sticks.
By evening, he is pushing a little car across the floor. He made it with his own hands. Today you will learn how to make something too.
1Four steps: plan, gather, make, check
Good makers do not just start cutting. They follow four steps, in order.
2Step 1: Plan
Close your eyes and see the toy in your head. Then draw it on paper.
Byiringiro wants a car. He asks himself: what parts does a car need?
- A body — flat and stiff.
- Four wheels — round, and they must turn.
- Two sticks to hold the wheels.
Now he knows exactly what to look for.
3Step 2: Gather your materials
Materials are the things your toy is made of. You do not need to buy them. Look around you.
- Paper and old boxes — you can fold them and cut them.
- Bottle tops — small, round and hard.
- Sticks — long and straight.
- Clay — soft wet soil you can squeeze into any shape.
- String and banana fibre — good for tying.
Pick the material that matches the job:
- A wheel must roll, so it must be round. A bottle top is round. Perfect.
- The body must hold the wheels up, so it must be stiff. Cardboard is stiff. One sheet of paper is too floppy.
4Step 3: Make it, one step at a time
Worked example
the bottle-top car
- Cut a flat piece of cardboard, as long as your hand. This is the body.
- Ask an adult to make a small hole in the middle of each bottle top.
- Push a stick through two bottle tops. Now you have two wheels on one stick.
- Do the same with the other stick and the other two tops.
- Tape the sticks under the cardboard — one in front, one behind.
- Put the car down and push. It rolls!
Worked example
the clay cow
- Dig some clay. Add a few drops of water and squeeze it soft.
- Roll a fat sausage. That is the body.
- Roll four short, thick sausages. Those are the legs. Press them on.
- Roll a small ball for the head. Press it on the front.
- Pinch two little horns on top of the head.
- Leave your cow in the shade for two days. It will dry hard.
Did you see the pattern? You build the big part first. Then you add the small parts.
5Step 4: Check it, and fix it
Push your car. Is one wheel stuck? Does it refuse to turn?
Do not cry. Do not throw it away. Look for the reason. The hole is too tight for the stick. Make the hole a little bigger, and the wheel will spin.
Fixing is part of making. Nobody makes it perfect the first time — not even your teacher.
6Last of all: tidy up
Pick up every scrap. Put the tools back. Wash your hands. A good maker leaves the place clean.
Try it yourself
Think about each one, then tap Show answer to check.
- You want to make a toy drum. Which comes first — cutting the box, or thinking about the parts you need?
- Which makes better wheels: bottle tops or banana leaves? Why?
- Umutoni's clay cow keeps falling over. Its legs are long and thin, and they bend. What should she change?
- You folded a paper boat and one side is torn. What do you do now?
- Plan a toy of your own. Write down the parts you will need.
7Answers
- Thinking. Plan comes before make. Cut only when you know what you need.
- Bottle tops. They are round and hard, so they roll. A leaf is soft and flat, so it cannot roll.
- Make the legs shorter and fatter. Thick legs can hold the heavy body up.
- Fix it. Tape the tear, or fold a new boat using what you learned.
- Any careful plan is right. Example: a ball — I need old plastic bags and string to tie them tight.
