Shoe Design

How many pairs of shoes do you have? Get them out, line them up and count them. Make a chart of your shoes. Make small drawings on the left side of your paper. Label your columns: Use, Type, Materials, Maintenance, End of Life. Chart each shoe as to its use: Dress, Casual, Sports, Water, etc. Chart each shoe as to its type: Slip on, Tie, Buckle, Snap, Velcro, Zipper, etc. List the key materials of each shoe: Leather, Rubber, Plastic, Cloth, etc. Tell what you do to keep the shoe in good condition: Wipe, Polish, Wash, Replace, etc. Finally tell why you stopped wearing your shoes and where will your shoes go when you have finished with them. How many shoes do you really need?

Tread on the earth lightly. What makes a good tread? Take note of different tread prints. Make six different dirt prints on paper. Compare your tread prints with friends. Next draw the sole pattern of each tread beside the tread print on the sheets of paper. Compare the different tread patterns. What can you learn about the function of the shoe and the tread? Pick one of the tread prints and redesign the tread. Be sure to design an upper with your tread pattern in activity 3.

Walk a mile in my shoes!

DId people always wear shoes? What were they made of? How long did they last? Take some time to research back in time the history of shoes. Check out this infographic of shoes or this infographic of shoes and then make your own infographic of shoes from different periods. What can we learn about shoes from centuries of wearing shoes?**
Become a shoe buff!

• The tennis shoe was an early form of footwear.
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• The sole of the shoe protects our feet from wear.
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• Some shoes are more comfortable than others.
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• Shoe design responds to climate.
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• Shoes should be biodegradable.
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