Recently as part of English studies, Grade 1 read a story that they enjoyed tremendously. “My Robot”, by the author Eve Bunting, is a fantasy story about a robot named Cecil. Cecil the robot isn’t very good at playing tag, leading the school band, and performing tricks with the dog, but there is one important thing he is very good at. He can be a good friend to the boy in the story.

After reading this story, Grade 1 students were inspired to make our own robot friends! First, students decided what kind of robot they would like to have as a friend. They could choose an animal-like one or a humanoid design. Then, they searched at home for materials they wanted to use for their robot. They had creative freedom to use any material they liked. After finishing their robots, the works were posted in the online class forum. Students were able to talk about their own work, and could see and comment on other students’ work. We loved the results of this robot project. It was fantastic to see how creative students were in finding materials for their robot friends!