How to Make a Mobile for a School Project

Mobiles are a classic school project--assigned to students from preschool age all the way to high school. While the standard mobile is a wire clothes hanger with objects attached by string, there are endless creative options to make your mobile a one-of-a-kind school project that will stand out.

Create a plan for the information your mobile will contain. For example, if you are designing a mobile on dinosaurs, decide how many facts and pictures you will display on your mobile. Locate any illustrations and write a rough draft of your information. Choosing a color scheme will also make your project look professional.

Design a base. The coat hanger is the classic base, but you can devise a creative base that suits your project. For example, if you are making a mobile about the pyramids of Egypt, create a paper pyramid to use as your base. For a mobile on Amelia Earhart, use a small airplane model. For a mobile on the fast food industry, use a large French fries container. Other items to use for any project are an empty paper towel tube, straws or small sticks.

Attach a hook or string to your base so it can be hung from the ceiling or other location.

Create background items that you will attach to your base. These will frame your information and illustrations. Instead of basic squares, try a creative shape that suits your topic--fruit shapes for a healthy foods project, fish for an ocean assignment and traces of hand prints for a mobile about Mother Theresa. See the Resources section for examples of actual mobiles.

Type all content using a word processor if possible. Otherwise, make sure your writing is neat.

Use scissors to cut the typed information and illustrations into a size that will fit the backgrounds you created. Cut straight lines.

Glue the information onto the backgrounds.

Use a hole punch to make a small hole at the top of each item.

Cut yarn, string or fishing line to attach your items to the base. Experiment with different lengths before permanently attaching to your mobile.