Mod 1, Day 1
📦 Flat to Form: Cardboard Design Challenge
🎯 The Challenge
Design and build a small 3D object using cardboard and hot glue.
You could make:
🤖 A character or creature
🚗 A vehicle or machine
🏠 A building or structure
🎮 An everyday object
🌀 An abstract sculpture
The goal is not to make the most complicated object. The goal is to take an idea through the design process from planning to a finished physical object.
🧠 The Design Process
💡 1. Plan Your Idea
Before cutting anything, decide what you want to make.
Create a quick sketch showing your object from:
Front
Side
Top
Add a few important measurements. Your drawings do not need to be artistic. They are there to help you plan how your object will actually be built.
📋 2. Break It Into Pieces
Figure out which individual pieces of cardboard you need and create a simple cut list.
Piece Quantity Size Side panels 2 10 × 15 cm Base 1 12 × 8 cm Supports 2 3 × 10 cm Your measurements may change once you start building. That is part of the design process.
📐 3. Measure + Mark
Use a ruler and pencil to draw your pieces directly onto the cardboard.
🚨 No pencil line = no cut.
Every ChompSaw cut should be planned and marked first.
Do not start cutting and figure out what you are making afterward.
🦺 Safety First
You must complete the teacher safety demonstration before using the ChompSaws or hot glue guns.
🪚 ChompSaw
When using a ChompSaw:
Use cardboard only unless instructed otherwise.
Keep the cardboard flat on the work surface.
Feed the cardboard forward, away from yourself, following the arrows on the machine.
Do not force cardboard through the cutter.
Keep tape, dried glue, and other materials away from your cutting line.
Only one person operates the saw at a time.
Turn the ChompSaw off when you finish your cut.
If cardboard becomes stuck or the machine is not working properly, stop and ask the teacher. Do not try to fix it yourself.
🔥 Hot Glue
When using hot glue:
Keep the glue gun at the designated glue station.
Never touch the metal nozzle or fresh glue.
Use only as much glue as you need.
Place the glue gun back on its stand when you are not using it.
Keep cords and loose materials away from your workspace.
If you burn yourself or something goes wrong, stop immediately and tell the teacher.
⚠️ Work safely, not quickly.
Finishing first does not matter. Using the tools properly does.
🛠️ Build It
🪚 4. Cut + Assemble
Cut your marked pieces using the ChompSaws and assemble them with hot glue.
We have a limited number of saws, so use your time efficiently.
While waiting to cut, you can:
Measure another piece
Mark cardboard
Check your design
Glue completed pieces
Plan your next step
🧪 5. Test + Improve
As you build, ask yourself:
Does it stand on its own?
Is it strong enough?
Are the pieces the right size?
Does it resemble my plan?
Is there a better way to build part of it?
You must make at least one change or improvement based on what you learn while building.
Changing your original plan does not mean your plan failed. Good designs change during testing.
✅ Project Requirements
Your project must:
📦 Be made from cardboard and hot glue
🧍 Stand on its own
📐 Be approximately 30 × 30 × 30 cm or smaller
🧩 Use roughly 6 to 12 separate pieces
✏️ Include front, side, and top sketches
📏 Include basic measurements
📋 Include a simple cut list
🔧 Include at least one change or improvement
📸 What You Need at the End
🏗️ 1. Finished Object
A completed cardboard object that can stand on its own.
✏️ 2. Design Plan
Your sketches, measurements, and cut list.
💭 3. Quick Reflection
Answer in one or two sentences:
What is one thing you changed while building your object, and why did you change it?
Example: I made the base wider because the original version kept falling forward.
🧹 Before You Leave
Your project is not finished until your workspace is clean.
Return tools
Save usable cardboard
Throw out scraps
Clean up hot glue and offcuts
Leave your workstation ready for the next class
💡 Remember
Plan → Measure → Make → Test → Improve
Today is about making something, but it is also about learning how an idea becomes a real object.
Link to original
Key Links
Link to original
- Notion
- Grove Time
- Learning Goals
- Marking
- Notion Portfolio Explained
- Late submissions and expectations
- AI Use
- 3D files to be printed submission form