For this project with my high schoolers, we recycled wine bottles. In order to get enough bottles, I just had to ask my co-op, and viola, they appeared. Don’t judge!
They started out by filling the bottle with pea gravel to weigh down the bottoms. Then, they stuck a long, heavy gauge wire into the neck, and all the way down to the gravel. After that, they used newspaper and masking tape to make the neck, head, and beaks of the birds. I told them they could design this bird any way they wished, and we had some very ingenious outcomes! They were also allowed cardboard to make the wings or any other body parts they liked.
Once they had the body, neck, head, beak, and wings formed, the students paper mached the entire sculpture to create the bird.
After layering it with paper mache, they let it dry, and then primed it. I hate buying primer, so I make it by using a one-to-one ratio of white acrylic paint to white school glue. Once the primer dried, it was time to paint the birds. They turned out beautifully! I am so proud of my high school girls!
schooled in love 