Building a Model of Stonehenge: Materials, Sand Dough Recipe, and Construction

After our prototype, we gathered our materials.

We used sand dough to make our model, but it can be used for so many more things. What about a Colosseum? Or models of famous sculptures? Perhaps your child will make his own sculpture! So many possibilities!

After we gathered our materials, we set to work building our model!

We used: 

Several diagrams of Stonehenge

(1) large sheet of plywood for a mobile working area

(1) sheet of poster board as a base for the model

(1) can green spray paint (grass)

(1) batch of sand dough

(2) cookie sheets

(1) white glue

(2) hot glue set-up

SAND DOUGH 

8 cups all-purpose flour (Allergen note: this was before we eliminated gluten. Even though we obviously don't eat this, some children may have issues with using wheat flour in crafts.I have not tried it with GF flour) 3 cups water
14 cups sand
1/4 cup white glue (just take the top off and dump a huge gloop in)
Honker squirt of black paint (this makes it look like stone)
Mix with hands in a huge bowl

As you can see in the picture, we mixed all this up on the front porch—a goooood idea! The children then formed sarsen stones, trilathons, lintels, etc. We placed them on a cookie sheet and baked them in the oven on low until they were dryish. Because there is paint in the sand dough, we did not have to paint them when they were finished.

My eldest spray painted the posterboard green, and then we followed a diagram to lay out the basic design of stonehenge. You need to decide if you will build it how it stands today or how archaeologists think it used to look. We went with how they think it used to look.

For the most part, we were able to use white glue to secure everything. For the parts that were kept falling apart or required more tackiness, I used hot glue (be careful with that!). Once all the pieces were ready, and supplies in order, and the hot glue gun warmed up, the model went together quickly.

PROTOTYPE

YouTube Connections: Stonehenge