TITLE:    MANNEQUIN

AUTHOR:   Joann Ball; Comanche Schools, Comanche, OK  73529

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:      1-5
     I have used this activity with students in grades one
through eight.

OVERVIEW
     This activity is good at the beginning of the school
year.  Students work in small groups, helping them get
acquainted.

PURPOSE:
     This activity is designed to stimulate creative thinking,
encourage cooperation, and help students get acquainted.

OBJECTIVES:
     Using only newspapers and masking tape, students will design
and construct an outfit for one member of their group.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
     Plenty of old newspapers and lots of masking tape are the only
supplies needed.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
     Students will be divided into small groups (from three to six),
depending on the total number of students.  Each group will designate one
person for whom they will design and construct an outfit.  A time limit
from ten to twenty minutes usually works best for me.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
     Students will model the outfits for others in the school.  (When I do
this with my GT students, I am careful as to who sees the finished outfits.
I don't want students who will be doing the same activity in the future to
see an outfit and have their creativity limited by what they see.) I did this
last fall at a parent/student dinner meeting. While students worked on
outfits, I met with parents to acquaint them with the GT program.
Students then modeled the outfits and explained why they chose a specific
idea, how it was constructed, and challenges and problems they faced.  My
students have come up with some great outfits:  a hula dancer with grass
skirt and lei, the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, a Statue of Liberty
complete with torch, etc.