My fellow scribbler Vanessa creates with cardboard. She made a cardboard Bremer car at The Vestry House Museum. Her exploration of ideas and clever use of materials are good inspiration when making and creating with your little ones.
Thank you Vanessa,
The Cardboard Car
Last year I worked with local children at the Vestry House museum to create a cardboard version of the Bremer car. This amazing creation was the first petrol driven car to grace the roads of Britain and we are lucky to have it permanently displayed in this local museum in Walthamstow.
I wanted the children to be inspired by the innovative spirit of it's inventor Frederick Bremer. He had assembled his original car in his garden shed using recycled materials of that time. In a similar fashion with this project we were fashioning reclaimed cardboard packaging into something completely different.
I have been working with cardboard for some years now and find it is a great material to use with children. It is lightweight, safe and has the ability to be both flexible and strong depending on how it is put together. It can also be found everywhere in many different shapes and sizes. Another very important aspect for me is that it is biodegradable.
There was lots of paint and mess on the day but it was great that the children were able to fully engage with the materials. They had the freedom to choose their own colours,fashion their own shapes and decorate them. When the car was finally assembled they were able to play inside it and see how the various components fitted in. The Tiler stick used to steer actually moved and the wheels rotated on their own cardboard tube axles. These interactive components provoked lots of questions and I'm sure it gave them a greater insight into how the original car worked. The original Bremer cannot be handled so it was a great opportunity for the children to be able to get inside their own version of it.
I am so pleased that I was able to do this project and bring attention to this unique exhibit. As a simple version of the modern motor car the Bremer car is an excellent starting point for children to look at and begin to understand how machines and engines work.
