Model Town
Build a village of your own.
Let maps inspire your child to build his own model town.
What you need:
• local map
• boxes, milk cartons, cans, and other objects for buildings
• construction paper
• cardboard
• paint, crayons, markers
• scissors
• glue and tape
What to do:
1. Look at a local map with your child. Can you find your block? Your school? A park?
2. Draw a map of a town you would like to create. What should be included? Houses? Stores? Schools? Parks and playgrounds? Where should they go? Use this map as a guide for your model.
3. Use a large piece of cardboard as a base for your model town. Your child might want to mark on the base where buildings, roads, and so forth should go. You may also need to decide the scale of your model to make sure that all the buildings fit.
4. Now it's time to make the buildings (stores, houses, schools, and so forth). Your child can paint blocks of wood, cover milk cartons or cans with construction paper, or even use construction paper and tape.
5. Use glue to secure the buildings to the cardboard base.
6. Finally, your child can add finishing touches — trees, grass, cars, street signs, and more.
Learning benefits:
• promotes community awareness
• supports social studies skills
• develops mapping skills
From Hands-on Geography by Susan Buckley and Elspeth Leacock (Scholastic Professional Books)
