When the Collin children arrived at the repurposing workshop in the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre's Harekeke Room on the first Monday of the school holidays, they told Peter Watson, Lynette Keast and me, "we are going to make robots!"
Nat Ward Collin made Robot NQ24 and told us "he was made from scraps, wood, wires, mint tins, etc.
"He has a powerful jet pack which goes too fast and I'm going to blast him through the atmosphere.
"And he has to be teleported back to earth … his jet pack is out of control."
Nat's granddad and I decided his remote could function a bit better. Sister Peggy's T-Robot seemed far better controlled.
Meanwhile, their dad, Richard, made a medal/chest decoration which later became a bird scarer to protect fruit on the tree, when we found a CD to add to the wooden structure.
We doubted if it would scare Kate's owl, made out of one large and several smaller lids, plus webbing and plastic utensils. It is off to Westmere School's Pet Day; perhaps in the cage brother Thomas made from wood and wire?
Maria Annear and her friend Scarlett McConchie made 'lollipops' similar to those made in previous workshops and now in the WRRC's Sculpture Garden.
They will wait and see what happens to the small corn starch packaging glued to them. Will they absorb moisture from the atmosphere and dissolve as they do in a glass of water, we wonder?
We look forward to progress reports from Scarlett's mum, Keely.