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This map of Italy was so much fun to make and turned out beautifully! The tactile-experience makes learning new things really stick…
Homeschoolers, or not, you have GOT to make these maps with your kids. They are awesome! What better way to learn about places in the world, get your hands nice and sticky, and have some history and art all rolled into one great project. Basically, you will sketch your map of choice, mix up a simple salt-dough, spread it on, let it dry and paint it. These maps turn out so nice, they are worthy of a permanent spot on the wall! Below are step-by-step instructions with photos of how Captain made a salt-dough map (with a little help from mom and dad) of two places she was learning about: Italy for studies of the rise and fall of ancient Rome, and France (with surrounding countries) for her project board about Paris, France.
Karen’s Homeschool-Side-Tip: Some great ways to learn about a particular place, person, event, or time period might include some of the following: Make a map, cook a simple food related to the project, encourage kids to make an audio-recording (Captain uses my iphone) of an interview with someone knowledgeable on the topic, or of themselves talking about the subject, create a piece of artwork (watercolor, sculpture etc.) use a blank project board (available at discount and art stores for about 2 bucks) to make a collage.
Okay, here goes!
Materials needed: Salt, flour, water, mixing bowl & spoon, sturdy piece of cardboard (We used the cardboard back from a pad of watercolor paper), pencil & eraser, copy of your map (I printed a topographical map and also one that showed the countries and cities) for reference, acrylic paints in those lovely “map colors”: blue (oceans & seas etc.), greens, tan, grey, white, black sharpie (if you want to write on the map) and (optional but recommended) clear acrylic spray (adults only!)
*After sketching your map and adding the dough “features”, your map will have to dry for hours, or overnight, before painting.
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Step 1: Mix up your salt dough. This is so simple that I put everything on the counter and had Captain do it herself.
Salt Dough Recipe: 1 cup salt, 1 cup flour, water. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, add water by the 1/2 cupfuls until a thick paste forms.
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Step 2: Sketch your map onto the cardboard. These maps are geographically based so there doesn’t have to be too much detail. I helped Captain a lot with this step. Get the boundary lines down first and then sketch in where you’ll build up the dough (ie mountains)
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I used the map above (online Google) for the boundaries and countries. The topographical map below helps us to know where to build up the mountains.
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Step 3: The fun part! Spread a thin layer of dough around the borders of the areas/countries. The dough is delightfully gritty and fun to work with. Don’t worry about perfection! Lumpy bumpy edges are perfect and add texture and depth:
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Step 4: Add mountains etc. by blobbing the dough on a little thicker and then using your fingers to pull up mountain peaks. Make sure to make the smaller mountains small and pull the dough up higher for the tallest peaks.
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The map is now set aside to dry for painting tomorrow!
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Step 5: Let the painting begin! You can use tempera, but we prefer acrylic paint. Using your topographical map for reference, make a palette of similar colors:
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Captain painted the oceans and seas a vivid blue first, then went over the mountains in tan. For more detail, use grey to feather a little over the top of the tan in some places. Next, paint the flat-areas green. The final touch: if you have tall mountains in your map, dip a large, round brush in white and tap it up and down very lightly over the tallest peaks for a “snow-capped” look that really makes the map pop!
Step 6: The project may or may not benefit from having the name of the country written on it with black sharpie. For Italy, Captain left it as it was. For France, she added the names of the countries. Final step (optional but nice): Have an adult coat the finished, dried painting with clear acrylic spray.
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Italy turned out gorgeous! Captain can recognize this country on any map and thinks that Sicily must be one of the coolest places ever Image may be NSFW.
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Here is the finished map of France:
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I should note that the recipe makes quite a lot of dough- waaaay more than you’ll need for a map! We keep the leftovers in a jar with a tight lid for awhile for sculptures and neat painting projects.
Take good care people and we’ll see you next time!
Cheers, Karen