Giving Old Socks A New Life
Talking about their work ‘Fiddle Wiggle’, HOTELMOTEL say that they were inspired by renewal, by springtime, and by nature waking up at the end of a long winter. Now, it’s your turn to renew your old socks by turning them into something new!
Grade 3-4
Duration : 1 period
Objective
Turn an old sock into a little figurine with crazy grass hair!
Guidelines
Watch ”HOTELMOTEL – Oeuvre” (English subtitles)
Make the craft by following the steps below.
Watch the grass as it grows.
Once it’s long enough (after about two weeks), cut it into a funky hairstyle for your new friend.
Material
You’ll need:
- Old nylon stockings cut down to the ankle, or single-use nylon socks like the ones found in shoe stores
- 2 tablespoons of grass seeds
- Around 1 cup of seedling soil
- 1 empty yogurt container or glass pot, 250ml
- 2 plastic googly eyes
- Construction paper
- Markers
- Hot glue
- Spray bottle, for grass spritzing
Steps
1
Get the help of a classmate for this first step. One person holds the sock open while the other pours two tablespoons of grass seeds into the opening. Next, add soil until the sock is about the size of tennis ball.
2
Turn the sock over a few times to make sure the head is really round. Make a knot in the nylon as close to the head as possible to keep the soil contained.
3
Turn the figurine so that the head is facing up. Add two googly eyes with a hot glue gun.
4
With construction paper, cut out other parts of the face to glue on with hot glue (mouth, nose, glasses, teeth, etc.). Let your imagination run wild!
5
Now, decorate the yogurt cup or glass pot that will serve as the body of the figurine. Cover it in construction paper and draw on some clothes using the markers.
6
Fill the container halfway with water, and then place your figurine on top. The empty part of the sock must be touching the water in order for the grass to grow.
7
Using the spray bottle, gently spritz a good amount of water on top of the figurine’s head and place it beside a window.
8
Continue to water the grass using the spray bottle twice a day. The grass should begin to appear after a few days. Keep an eye on the water level in the container and add more as needed.
9
After about two weeks, your figurine is ready for their haircut!
Food for Thought
See how easy it is to give new life to something we no longer need? Before throwing something away, we should always ask ourselves if it can be repaired or used for something else. Don’t be afraid to use your imagination!
