The magical thing about a Bot is that it can be programmed to bring you courage, joy, love…whatever it is you need right now — and Bots are also quite good at delivering courage, joy, and love to others in your life and community.
Thank you to our friend Gary Hirsch, creator of Botjoy, for sharing this project with us. To learn more about his Bot movement, and see the thousands (and thousands) of Bots created by people around the world, visit Botjoy.com
Gather your supplies:
Some paper or a journal (check out our make a mini journal project to make your own)
A pen or pencil for writing and sketching your ideas
Markers or paint
Dominos if you have them, but paper, cardboard, wood, clothespins, stones, or other objects will work just as well
To start, think about someone in your community who could use a little help right now. This could be a friend, family member, or even someone you haven’t met.
Who is in your community? How do you define your community? Is it your family? Your town? Your school? Your state, country, world?
Write some ideas on a piece or paper or in your journal. Then decide who you will make a Bot for first.
Now that you have some people in mind, think about what it is they are going through right now, and what kind of Bot might be helpful.
For example, the artist Gary Hirsch started this project by noticing that kids being admitted to the hospital in his city could use a little help, to feel less scared at the hospital. So he made BraveBots to help feel a bit better while being admitted to the hospital.
What kind of Bots do you want to create for some of the people on your list? A Love Bot, a Joy Bot, a Fear Less Bot, a Friendship Bot, a Sunshine Bot….the possibilities go on.
Ready to design your Bots? First, spend a little time sketching some ideas on your paper or in your journal. Try out different head and body shapes. Try adding unique features that give each Bot its own personality.
What symbols can you add to express “brave” or “joy” or “love” or…? For example, maybe your Love Bot has a heart in its design, and maybe you give your Joy Bot an extra big smile.
When it comes to drawing a Bot, you can’t go wrong. Whatever your Bot looks like is exactly the way it should look.
It’s now time to create your Bot.
Bots are often drawn on the back of a domino, but you can also use paper, cardboard, a piece or wood, a stone, a clothes pin, or other object — there’s no place like your yard or the recycling bin to find art materials!
You can also stack pieces of cardboard and tape them together with masking, electrical, or washi tape (see examples below).
For drawing your Bot, you can use pens, markers, paint — whatever materials you have around.
Next, you’ll want to write some instructions to explain how your Bot works. For example:
This Bot is programmed to bring you courage. When you are feeling worried, just whisper your fear to it, and it will make you feel braver.
Or:
This Bot brings love to whoever holds it!
Or maybe you want to add special instructions like “just tap on this Bot three times…”
It’s really up to you how you want to program your Bot.
And now it’s time to deliver your Bot. That can be a little tricky in these days when we are supposed to stay home. Here are some ideas:
If your Bot is for a friend, you can try putting it in an envelope and mailing it to them. Or you can take a photo of your Bot and text or message it (don’t forget to include your Bot instructions).
If your Bot is for a neighbor, you could try taping it to the outside of their window (if it’s made of paper or cardboard), or you might put it in their yard if it’s a stone or piece of wood. Maybe you could include your instructions on a separate stone or piece of wood.
If you want to cheer up a total stranger, leave your Bot along a sidewalk or in a tree.
Hey, what about making a giant Bot? That would be pretty cool. You could keep in in your front yard or window for people to see as they walk by. (If you make a giant Bot, please send us a photo!)
And now that you’ve brightened up someone else’s day, how about adding some love and courage to our gallery? Just click below.