How to Make a Stonehenge Model
I don’t know about you, but I have memories of history being dry, boring, and something to simply “get through” when I was a kid. I had no real interest in the subjects or people about whom I was reading. Because of my memories, I dreaded the thought of teaching history to my kids when I started homeschooling them.
But I discovered that, like anything else, history is what you make it.
So I decided to make it fun and hands-on.
photo credit david lally on publicdomainpictures.net
My kids tend to enjoy travelling down rabbit trails and exploring all aspects of things. And that includes history. Particularly ancient history.
They were fascinated with their lesson on Stonehenge and wanted to do more. And, seriously, who could blame them? Stonehenge is an iconic part of British history. Nobody knows for certain why this amazing monument was built, but it must have been important. The effort and work that must have gone into it is astounding.
We found some great sites and videos on the internet. One of our favorites was the Kids Discover Spotlight Stonehenge page. And then they created their own Stonehenge models.
It was easy, adorable, and they play with it using their toy animals and figures. Are you ready to make your own?
Materials Needed for Your Stonehenge Model
- Rocks or stones {we used bags of river stones for plant decorating from the Dollar Tree}
- Craft moss
- Hot glue gun
- Heavy paper plate
How to Make a Stonehenge Model
Step 1: Turn the paper plate upside down on a table {protect the table using a cloth or newspapers so the hot glue doesn’t ruin it} and warm up the glue gun.
Step 2: Glue the stones on their ends in a pattern similar to that of Stonehenge – or just let your kids get creative and create their own “ancient” concentric circular monument. Make sure to use caution with the hot glue gun. You know your child best. If he is capable of handling this tool on his own, let him, but if you’re unsure, do the gluing for him while he tells you which stone to position where.
Step 3: Once your child is satisfied with his model, have him cover the base of the plate with moss using either the glue gun or white school glue. Let this dry.
Step 4: Display your kids’ models in a place where they can play with them. I love hearing the stories from our history lessons played out for weeks after we’ve finished.
Have you and your kids ever made a model or project that has turned into a playscape for them? What was it?
This article was written by a Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers guest author. See the author's full bio in the body of the post.
This is such a wonderful project idea. My high school girls just made a Roman house with the help of my 4 and 6 year olds. They all had a great time and learned a lot. These kinds of projects are great for getting all ages working together. We will have to remember this project for the future. Thanks for sharing!
Dana at https://littlewomenontheprairie.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the comment, Dana! I bet my kids would like to make a Roman house, too. We’ll have to remember that idea.
I love great hands-on projects. What a wonderful way to make history memorable (and fun!)