4Learning - Secondary - Resources - The Arts - The Mix: Handmade 2 - Willard Wigan

Willard Wigan – model maker (light aircraft)

Ideas to Try

1. Provide children with a variety of lightweight materials and set them the task of creating sculptures that are both aesthetically pleasing and as light as possible. They should be designed to hang on very fine wire and move in an air current. Suitable materials might include art straws, paper, newspaper, string, wool, feathers, cotton wool, tinfoil, cling film and fine wire.

2. Similarly, children could experiment in producing simple lightweight aircraft of their own from the most basic hand-powered models in paper to examples with a framework and alternative power sources. Older children will enjoy the challenge of considering different ways of powering their aircraft. To link with the programme, emphasis should be placed on keeping the finished model as light as possible. As a part of this activity, the children could be encouraged to carry out their own research into flight design – either by looking closely at aircraft, kites, gliders, hot air balloons, etc or by investigating the phenomenon of flight in nature.