Model building club at school
Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:34 pm
I teach at a middle school here in Knoxville (7th grade science) and a few years ago I started an after-school model building club. A local hobby store sells me models at about a 40% discount and we get the no-tax thing for being a school, plus the PTA gives me a couple of hundred bucks to buy models and supplies each year. There are no membership fees or dues and the only requirement for being a member is that you make sure that you have a ride home after school.
I give them their first model and all the necessary paints and glue for free and then we meet twice a week for the last 2 months or so of school. Once they finish their model, they can remain in the club if they bring their own model in to work on. I keep it limited to about 20-24 kids and they have varied experience. Some need to build a snap-tite kit while others take on more challenging kits. I really encourage them to take their time and to prepare and paint their model; delayed gratification is a challenging thing to teach!
I usually buy 1:48 scale WWII aircraft plus some 60's or 70's-era muscle cars and am happy to report that the planes are more popular. Mustangs and P-40's are usually picked first but I had a kid build a Mosquito last year. I have a bunch of books and magazines in my classroom and they can do a little research on their plane if they want.
We have a website at school and hopefully I can post some pictures there from this year's efforts.
Dave
I give them their first model and all the necessary paints and glue for free and then we meet twice a week for the last 2 months or so of school. Once they finish their model, they can remain in the club if they bring their own model in to work on. I keep it limited to about 20-24 kids and they have varied experience. Some need to build a snap-tite kit while others take on more challenging kits. I really encourage them to take their time and to prepare and paint their model; delayed gratification is a challenging thing to teach!
I usually buy 1:48 scale WWII aircraft plus some 60's or 70's-era muscle cars and am happy to report that the planes are more popular. Mustangs and P-40's are usually picked first but I had a kid build a Mosquito last year. I have a bunch of books and magazines in my classroom and they can do a little research on their plane if they want.
We have a website at school and hopefully I can post some pictures there from this year's efforts.
Dave
Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:01 am
Great way to get more people into modeling. Wish we had a club at my school... 