Materials
Large piece of corrugated cardboard Old newspapers
Masking tape Paper plates
Flour and water Large bowl and spoon
Tempera paint and paintbrushes Aprons or smocks
Instructions
1. If possible, take the children on a field trip to the mountains. If not, talk about mountains and valleys using pictures and books.
2. On a cardboard base, show the children how to make piles of crumpled newspapers to build mountains. You may need to secure these somewhat with tape.
3. For mountain tops, make cuts from the edges to the centers of several paper plates and overlap the two cut edges to form cones. Tape these together and to the top of each mountain.
4. Ask the children to tear the newspaper into strips about 2" (5 cm) wide. Newspaper tears easily lengthwise.
5. Mix flour and water into a thick soup consistency in the bowl.
6. Wearing aprons or smocks, children dip the paper strips into the flour mixture. Remove the extra mixture by running the strips through index finger and thumb.
7. Put the strips on the mountains, building them up until you have a solid covering on the mountains. Let this dry for three to four days.
8. Paint the mountains and valleys with tempera paint and label them. If you took a field trip, you can label some of the landmarks you saw on your trip.More to doGames: Play "Go In and Out the Window" singing the words "go up and down the mountains."
