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Has anyone built a model of the Great Wall of China?


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My answer to everyone of life's projects is: paper mâché

 

So far this year we've made a big Desert locust model, an Inuit harpoon & "seal-skin" float, and an igluvijait (igloo) out of paper mâché. Next up? A California Mission.

 

Cheap, easy, and good.

 

Bill

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My answer to everyone of life's projects is: paper mâché

 

So far this year we've made a big Desert locust model, an Inuit harpoon & "seal-skin" float, and an igluvijait (igloo) out of paper mâché. Next up? A California Mission.

 

Cheap, easy, and good.

 

Bill

 

Bill, your child must be in the fourth grade if your Mission project is coming up. Have fun! I'm glad it is behind us.

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No, confessions is not my blog. Is that what you mean? We did the activity of the Great Wall that was posted on the Confessions website. We have her Geography curriculum. I have a blog but it's not at all like hers.

Your blog looks cool too. I just wasn't sure if the one I linked to was also yours.

 

Bill

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I wish you could "bake" styrofoam, but that is probably a very bad idea.

 

I hit on one innovation with paper mâché (discovered while making the harpoon point) that I think is way cool. Our harpoon point was a little moist, so I dusted it with more flour, then I thought what if I brushed it with egg whites and baked it? So...why not? We had been planning on painting it, but it browned up in such a cool organic looking way ( and got "hard").

 

So then when we had to make a seal-skin float, we did the same thing. Dusted flour on our object, brushed with egg whites and baked it. It came out looking like leather. If styrofoam were bake-able, they would look like rocks given the same treatment. But baking styrofoam seems like a very bad idea.

 

Bill

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A web-search brought up this (not paper mâché) option:

 

http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2010/09/china-craft-great-wall.html

 

Bill

I saw that one too and would like to do something similar without buying those bricks. We tried making our own bricks out of salt dough but I went through so much salt and flour that the project no longer was worth the cost. So that became a salt dough map of China instead. :)

 

I actually thought about paper mâché but the kids just finished a paper mâché solar system and paper mâché atoms. We are paper mached out for the next while at least.

 

I'd love to find another interesting medium for this project that won't cost a ton.

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