Year 8 Design & Technology – Bird Box Project Introduction
Duration: 110 minutes
Theme: Sustainability and Creative Design
Year 8 Design & Technology – Bird Box Project Introduction
Duration: 110 minutes
Theme: Sustainability and Creative Design
Learning Objectives
- Understand different materials (wood, polymers, metals, paper, board)
- Learn about designers inspired by nature
- Begin planning ideas for a bird box design
- Apply sustainable design principles
Visual: icons of materials and design sketches
Do Now Task – Starter (10 mins)
Match each material to the correct product:
Wood → Chair | Metal → Spoon | Plastic → Bottle | Paper → Cereal box
Extension: Which materials are recyclable?
Images: examples of each material and product
What is the Bird Box Project?
Task: Design and make a bird box for a local wildlife charity.
Consider:
• The user – a bird
• The client – your school eco team or RSPB
• Environment – durable, waterproof, safe materials.
Activity: Write down why protecting wildlife matters.
Diagram: labelled parts of a bird box
Think–Pair–Share – Materials Discussion
Think: Which material would work best for a bird box?
Pair: Discuss with a partner.
Share: Share your idea with the class.
Sentence starter: 'I think ___ is best because it is ___.'
Images: wooden and plastic bird boxes side-by-side
Material Focus – Wood & Man-Made Boards
Wood: strong, natural, renewable.
MDF: smooth, easy to cut, not waterproof.
Task: Write two advantages and one disadvantage of each.
SEND: provide icons 🌳 = natural, 💧 = not waterproof.
Diagram: life cycle of wood (tree → plank → product → recycle)
Material Focus – Metals & Polymers
Metals: durable, recyclable, heavy.
Polymers: waterproof, light, versatile, less eco-friendly.
Task: When would you use each? Which is most sustainable?
Images: metal sheets, plastic mold, recycling logo
Material Focus – Paper & Board
Used for packaging, prototypes, and models.
Eco-friendly and easy to recycle.
Task: Sketch a packaging design for your bird box.
SEND: provide pre-drawn templates.
Images: paper prototype, packaging label examples
Designers Inspired by Nature
1. Ross Lovegrove – organic shapes
2. Thomas Heatherwick – textures & form
3. Neri Oxman – bio-design
4. Stella McCartney – sustainable fashion
5. Sebastian Cox – woodland furniture
Task: Choose one designer and explain how they could inspire your design.
Images: designer portraits and works
Independent Task – Sketching Your Bird Box
Use inspiration from materials and designers.
Task: Draw your bird box idea.
Label materials and features.
Explain why it’s sustainable.
SEND: provide outline templates to annotate.
Visual: sample design sketch with notes
Plenary – Reflection and Feedback
Questions:
1. What material did you choose and why?
2. Which designer inspired you most?
3. How does your design help wildlife?
Write one thing you learned and one thing to improve.
Icons: reflection bubbles, checklist
Recap & Homework
Today we learned:
• Material properties and sustainability
• Designers who use nature as inspiration
• How to plan an initial bird box design
Homework: Research one UK bird species and bring a picture or fact next lesson.
Images: robin, blue tit, sparrow