I saw this pin on Pinterest and thought that making a robot out of recycled items we had around the house would be a fun family project.

Here’s what we used for our robot:

  • 8 tin cans
  • 1 large kiwi plastic container
  • 1 shoe box – bottom and lid
  • 1 paper towel roll, cut in half
  • 2 circle magnets
  • 1 magnetic strip
  • Alphabet magnets
  • 1 egg carton
  • 4 screws
  • Plastic stuffing
  • Tape

It was really interesting helping the kids and Daddy O. figure out how to best build our robot.  I am a fan of excessive taping of any homemade project, but we were having problems with the cans staying in place. Daddy O. decided to drill holes into the bottoms of the cans to screw them together vertically. This also helped attach the head, body and feet of the robot, so it was very stable. The kids helped with taping the cardboard tube arms on. Big sister invented the control panel, using the lid of the box and part of an egg carton.

Here’s our finished product in all its glory!

Here's our robot and "control panel"
Here’s our robot and egg shell carton “control panel” in the lid of the shoebox

How I would change it up for next time – The flat magnets don’t stick terribly well to the round cans, and we were forced to spell words vertically vs. horizontally.  I would flip the box next time and perhaps have a bigger tin can torso, so we could do more with the magnets we have.

All in all this was a fun, family activity that is easy and eco-friendly.  Happy Earth Day!