Learning Objectives

Students will:

1. learn about what a layering structure is.
2. learn to design wood stamps.

Preparation:

1. Engraving material: 3mm basswood sheets
2. A4 paper
3. Wood glue
4. Laserbox

Session 1  Lead-in

Ask students: ” How many times do you think you can fold a piece of A4 paper in half? And have you ever thought about why? Take the A4 paper and try folding it in half to figure out.”

Have students give it a try.

Possible answer: 6 times.

Give explanations: “Each time the paper is folded, the thickness goes up by 2 times. Therefore, when we fold the paper in half 6 times, we may find it hard to give it another fold. You might want to use a tool to help fold the paper. However, the paper itself is not strong enough to withstand another fold so the paper will be torn under that condition.”

Ask students: “Let’s suppose one piece of paper is 0.1mm thick and we fold it in half 6 times. Then what is the thickness of the paper?”

Have students answer the question.

Explain to students: “If we fold a piece of paper 6 times, then the paper will be as thick as 64 pieces of paper (0.1*2*2*2*2*2*2=6.4mm). Each time the paper is folded, the thickness goes up by 2 times. But what if we pile pieces of paper, instead of keeping folding the same piece of paper in half? By piling paper, we can turn pieces of thin paper into a whole sheet of thick paper. ”

The method also applies to our laser cutting projects. By piling the engraved pieces, we can create densely layered artworks that take on a 3D form.

For the complete lesson plan and instruction manual, please download the Lesson Plan.