My name is Ahmond, and within my home, multiple little worries were circling. Among them were plastic container tops that I wanted to recycle. Concern for our planet’s unknown future and the strange human behavior I had been witnessing was also weighing me down.
In response, I decided to turn these earthbound worries into beings capable of taking flight.
It’s a big universe out there, full of so many things we don’t know, including people, places, and other things beyond the stars that are unfamiliar. That can be a little scary.
While you can’t control whether or not someone is nice to you or if a new situation is safe, there IS a way to navigate the unknown. With the help of a friendly alien, you can create the universe you prefer to live in and be the type of human you want to be in it.
So, let’s embark on creating an Unidentified Flying Object with a friendly identity and powerful message to send to yourself, a friend, a family member, or all the people of Earth.
Begin by gathering plastic tops from bottles and containers that often hurt the environment when they are thrown away.
How many humans know that these plastic tops can be turned into UFOs?!
What a great opportunity to make new friends and get your neighbors involved too! By combining your collections, ALL of you will have a variety of parts to build with.
You will also need:
Glue
Tape
Scissors
Paper
Pen/Pencil
A tough long string (yarn, old shoelace, or fishing wire)
Clear plastic dipping sauce container (optional)
Anything you want to decorate your UFO with like paint, old magazine or newspaper clippings, glitter, tin foil, markers, stickers, glow sticks, LED lights, and anything on or off this planet
What could these aliens bring from the other side of the galaxy to make our world better?
Think about a message, the length of one sentence, that you would like to send to yourself, the planet, or a person in your life in need of some inspiration from wise space travelers.
If you have some room on your UFO, you can make it longer, but I recommend a short message that the receiver can easily remember.
Here are some examples:
Write your chosen message on a piece of paper and keep it handy for inspiration whenever you feel stuck while building your UFO.
Now that you know what message you’re sending, it’s time to design the best ship to carry it.
Start with the bottom of the ship. As you move up, the pieces will gradually increase in size, with the middle piece being the largest, and then reducing in size again as you get to the top. This will give it that classic flying saucer look.
Consider using a uniquely shaped top or a clear container for the cockpit so we can see our alien(s) hanging out. Choose what feels right for your mission.
Once you have all your pieces stacked, and they can stand on a table without any support, you should be ready for the next step.
To avoid injury, I recommend getting an adult to assist with this next step.
Using the sharp end of your scissors, carefully twist a hole through the center of all your tops, except for the bottom piece. Apply a rotating motion instead of a “stabby stab” motion for safety and best results.
Make sure your hole is just big enough to pull your string through. Holes that are too large might cause pieces to slide during flight. If this happens, you can easily fix it by taping over parts of the hole to shrink its size.
Starting from the top of your UFO, thread your string through the holes. After pulling it through, tie a knot at the end.
Next, create a loop at the top of the string for hanging. Here is a video that teaches you how to tie The Perfection Loop.
Now, it’s time to take your UFO for a test flight. If your ship holds together well during the flight, you’re ready for the next step.
Let’s start decorating your ship!
Make it enjoyable for yourself. If you don’t feel confident using paint, you can cut out the colors and designs you like from paper, photos, and/or magazines and then glue them to your tops.
To make it easier, try spreading your pieces apart on the string so you can decorate each top one at a time.
Next, add your friendly alien at the top of the ship or anywhere you prefer. This can be an alien that you draw, a small toy, or a picture that you cut out. As another option, you can design an alien using Project 49.
Write your message on the side of one of your tops or any other clever place you’d like that will get your message across clearly.
Here are some examples:
I prefer to use bright colors for the message, giving the impression that aliens are broadcasting in the night sky. For my UFO, I wrote ‘You deserve better!’ in glitter around the side.
Finally, add your bottom piece with glue or tape to cover the knot so you have a flat surface to land on after flying.
You’re cleared for takeoff!
Hang your UFO in a place where the message will be well received by you or the human you’re sending it to.
You can hang it in front of someone’s door, next to a window, near a mailbox, by your mirror, in your locker, over your desk, on a tree, under a ceiling fan…
The sky is the limit!
