How Can We Use These Models,

How to make a simple model of the Titanic out of cereal boxes. Plus lesson ideas to use with it after it is complete. One reason why I wanted to work in primary schools is because there is a licence to be creative. The more creative you can be the better for the children. This isn't always the case if you teach one particular subject. In fact the great thing about teaching in primary is that you can link the creative subjects to others and this will only benefit the children's learning.

I did this lesson on making the Titanic first. Then we had an art lesson on decorating it. Last of all we had an english lesson on writing instructions from what they did. The instructions were really good. There was a really good reason for this too - because they had done the activity and were not trying to create instructions from their imagination. Considering the class was an SEN class they definatly needed a hands on activity to produce their best work.

I do believe this is the best idea for most children though and not just those who find it hard to use their imagination. So what do you need, Art materials to decorate your model. Instructions of how to make a simple Titanic model from a cereal box. First you need to squash down your cereal packet.

Just open the lid at the top and bottom as if you were opening the packet. Next you need to cut those flaps at the top and bottom of your packet. Once this is done then you need to cut it roughly in half. We don’t want to see what cereal you have been eating so fold it back on itself.

Once that is done you need to measure around 8cm from the base along the folds at the top and cut along these lines. Do the same at the bottom but only 5cm this time. Once you have done that, you can fold the two parts together and stick it together using sellotape. Then do the same for the back of the ship. But remember to only mark and cut down 5cm here. You should notice that there are sticky out parts on the top now.

These need cutting off using scissors. And of course sticking down again. Now you have the hull of the ship. Next we need to work on the living quarters. First get the other half of the packet that you didn’t use. Then mark on 4 parallel lines. Each needs to be wider than the toilet rolls you have for the funnels.

Note that I had to also put a square after one of these rectangles to make sure I can cover up that face when placed on the ship. Then I cut it out. I also folded it around to make a cuboid shape. Before sticking it together with sellotape. Try it on for size. But then I realized I had made a mistake!

I realised that the Titanic needed four funnels but I only had room for 3 on my cuboid. But this is fine, as we all make mistakes. So I looked how to correct it. A simple solution was to just make the cuboid longer, so I made a cube to stick on the side of it.

A grid of 9 squares was drawn, each square the same size as the square face on my cuboid. I was happy with this so I stuck the cube and cuboid together with sellotape. Then I looked at the funnels and thought they should be at an angle. So I squashed them down and cut the bottom off at an angle.

Once I did that, I stuck them all down using sellotape. Then I stuck down the living quarters to the deck of the ship using sellotape. Finally (and this is down to you) I decorated it. Tip: If you use masking tape instead of sellotape like me, you will be able to decorate it a lot easier.