Hope our metal man, Robert, chimes in on this. He makes some really cool stuff. Tho there's garden stuff to make out of tools without welding too. I've never made it, but have seen photos (probably on here). Kudos by the way, for working with youths that age. That's wonderful.

hugs, Karen

Welcome, June! (in June!!) you might try googling it and see if you can come up with some ideas. There might be alternative ways of connecting your pieces like adhesives, wire, etc. hope you get some ideas and please post pics!I love gardening and have introduced my gr'babies to the "love of the soil", hope your kids love it, too. Glad you joined us! blessings-sherri

Welcome to the forum June, nice to have you join us. Sorry I don't have any ideas for you on garden tool critters but I'm sure someone here will.

Sal

Hi Cowgirl..........these may inspire you

Here is a link that might be useful: Tool Art

Wow! I'm glad you asked, Cowgirl. I've seen photo's here of these types of critters and I've been saving stuff I've found on our property. So far I have an rusty large shovel head, the metal part of a pitchfork, and misc. pieces and parts of old cogs or whatever these metal pieces are. I also found 3 rolls of barbed wire - looks like they rolled each one into a large ball when they were done. They used to not have garbage pickup here so everything, EVERYTHING, was just tossed into the woods.
At first I hated it - now we just think of it as backyard archeology. Now we like most of it (but the broken glass is another thing - it's spread over such a large area and more concentrated in some areas than others, and weeds are covering some). Oh well, now I'm getting negative...I love backyard archeology, I love backyard archeology, I love backyard archeology,...LOL. Well, good luck!

June,

You have a great request! I have seen many of those cool and creative tool creature garden art. BUT, I am not an expert at all about building them. I really NEED and want to take a welding class. Wish I knew I wanted to weld when I was younger cause my Grandpa could have taught me. The link that tootiet gives is awesome! I love the entire idea of using items that people are going to throw away to make wacky creations. Have fun teaching all those kids! If you can would you be able to take pictures of the process and post them here?
And welcome to the Garden Junk Group!

Love, Jules

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome.
Tootiet thank you for the link, I love all of your projects. Those tool crittrs are so cute! Thank you. I know we will be making all of those.
I will post pictures.
I will try google using tool art. I have tried several combinations of names, but only find ads for selling tools! LOL
June

Here are a few more I found...

http://www.junkyardart.com.au/

http://yard-garb.com/index.html

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/gardening_out_of_style/107041

Hope these give lots of ideas for you and your students!

Here is a link that might be useful: Yard Art

I Just posted a message with a link to this original post. I found some very neat critters and cool fence that surely will inspire your students. To find some of these items used or that will fill your needs, go to a junk yard, a place that buys scrap metal for recycling. They might give it to you or sell it at a reduced rate since it's for a school project.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fence & Critters

I have this guy that I bought this spring from my school. I think he is cute and very quite simple.

{{gwi:150263}}

Hi June - thanks Karen.
I think it would be better to challenge your young people to come up with their own creations. I started by picking up a piece of metal and seeing something else.
It could be anything like a bicycle seat that becomes a preying mantis, a shovel head that resembles a tribal mask or the more common yard birds. IMO it will be infinitely more rewarding to see what lurks in the creative minds of your young people. I sure you will be more than surprised.

This garden warrior was made with a shovel head, a bulb planter, a wire hub cap, some bicycle parts, misc scrap.
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This garden mask was made with a shovel head, several rake pieces, and some miscellaneous scrap.
{{gwi:150265}}

Robert

Robert, this is WAY awesome!! Wish my husband was a welder.

SLR, I love your giant rock n metal bug. He's waaay cool.
I want one of those!!
And Robert, your Garden Warrior is AWESOME. WOW. I bet the guys would love trying to make stuff like that, Cowgirl.

I saw a giant metal rooster on eBay for $55 and found myself saying "our Robert could make that!". LOL.

hugs, Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: metal rooster

We can hardly wait to see what the kids produce!

Slr8 that snail is great. I love that kind of sculpture, from the minimalist school no doubt. Often it is from that type of simplicity that our mind generates the most complete images.
Karen, I went to the ebay store of Nafe Iron Works, they have several of those roosters for sale along with the ugliest pig ever.

Robert

Yes Robert, I went and saw their other stuff. They can't hold a candle to YOU in my book. Their loss.
And you certainly have a way with words I've noticed. Your sentence above about simplicity is almost poetic. Makes me wonder if you are a writer or Eng teacher! I love words, especially when they almost paint a picture at times. You, Sir, are a delight in so many ways.

hugs, Karen

Wow thank you for all the great ideas. Yes I will turn the kids loose with their own ideas. I tried to explain to them what garden critters are and all I got was blank looks, so I thought I would bring in some pictures.

Well I havent been able to show them yet as they have all been dispatched out on the fires burning here in California.

AS soon as they return we will be able to get started.
June

cowgirl, photos is best idea to show them what can be done. Sure works for me, LOL. Especially Robert's garden warrior, I know the boys are going to LOVE that one.

Slr, your rock snail gave me an idea to try. Spur of the moment purchase. I had to go to Home Depot yesterday, and by the garden checkout was a box of Yard Critter Stakes.
They look like crazy bird heads. in wood. on metal poles. Totally goofy. I grabbed up one, promptly decided he has to be a "Dodo Bird", LOL, and paid the $7 for him. First I was just going to put him in middle of a tall plant like he was peeking out. But the more I thought of your snail's rock body, I think I have a rock that might be perfect for my silly bird. He'd look like he was nesting I guess, but what the heck.....he's a DODO.

hugs, Karen