Teaching Art and Design with the Mayku FormBox

Besides being dedicated to social change and innovation, Luuk Wiehink has a keen interest in product design. He uses the Mayku FormBox to teach the basics of environmental science and conservation to children.

“The FormBox is fast to set up and really easy to use. For children participating in my workshop, it's always magical to see their (sometimes rough) clay mold, being formed into a (comical, beautiful, tough, etc) plastic gargoyle. Works every time!” – Luuk Wiehink

Teaching With Real-World Problems

Due to heavy rainfall, many of the drains in Luuk's hometown of Geitenkamp, Holland were close to flood levels. Luuk spotted an opportunity to teach his students about conservation. To do this, he asked his students to design and create gargoyle heads. The idea was that these gargoyle heads would then redirect water from overflowing pipes into the ground, thereby safeguarding against damage and flooding.

As his students were working with clay, Luuk needed a quick, safe, and easy method to transform their clay creations into something more suited to the job. Vacuum forming their designs allowed each student to create a plastic replica of their clay gargoyle. Due to the FormBox's portable size and sturdy build quality, Luuk was even able to run some of his lessons outside without posing a threat to his students.

Allowing Students to Create Finished Products

After teaching his students about the fundamentals of vacuum forming, and how you can create objects with clever use of heat and air, Luuk also gave them a quick idea of what kind of designs work well with the FormBox. Additionally, the fact that Mayku's Form Sheets are fully recyclable and partly made from recycled plastic waste enabled him to showcase how we can make choices that minimize our impact on the environment.

The students were set free to create their own gargoyle heads from clay. Once they had reached a satisfactory design, students were invited to create molds of their designs. Crucially, the fact that it only takes seconds to finish a mold meant that students could experiment and play with different shapes until they found a form they liked. Being able to be hands-on, and seeing an instant transformation from clay to a durable plastic form kept students engaged.

After successfully forming their design, the gargoyles were tested by being mounted on handmade pipes that expelled water. Once a design had been approved, each student was encouraged to take their gargoyle home so that their family could mount it on their drain system.

Mayku FormBox | A Transportable Factory

For an educator like Luuk, being able to easily move and store education machinery is vital. The FormBox is the size of an average microwave and is designed to be lightweight, yet durable. This also allows multiple teachers and classrooms to use a single machine and share it within the school, allowing even more students to have access to this technology.

Creative Thinking For All Ages

The FormBox is suitable for use by any student over 8 years old. Tellingly, the professional quality of finished items means it is widely used across all primary, secondary, and higher education.

From art projects to product design, science to culinary confections, this machine has endless possibilities when put into the hands of students to allow them to bring their ideas and imaginations to life!

Find Out More About the Mayku FormBox

The Mayku FormBox isn't just a piece of educational machinery, it's an entire teaching platform. Through the Mayku Teach platform – and additional STEAM resources – teachers are armed with everything (including lesson plans) that they need to teach compelling lessons. Visit our shop at 3D Universe to find out more about the Mayku FormBox Vacuum former.

Alternatively, get in touch with us at info@3duniverse.org to find out how your students can benefit from this technology in the classroom.