Supplies:

• Styrofoam cups (2-3 per student)
• Xacto knives

Downloadable Sign-out Sheet: X-Acto Knife Safety

After spending three weeks using colored pencils on the Safe City posters, I knew my students were ready to do something completely different. Taking a ordinary object like a Styrofoam cup and turning it into a sculpture was the perfect change of pace.

This was one of the few projects that I allowed students to jump right into without sketching. Instead, I told them to work on a practice cup first. They were able to get a feel for how the Xacto knife carves and practice cutting out their design.

Some students chose to incorporate the pieces they cut out in their final design. Others decided not to. I was impressed by the wide variety of concepts that they came up with. I really enjoyed the experimental, innovative nature of this project.