The Dome of the Rock Project

We began our project on the Dome of the Rock today.

It's paper mache. Of course! What a mess! why do I always forget what a mess paper mache is going to be until it is all over me, the counter, the floor? Because I love it, that's why!

Step one was to find pictures of the mosque. Then we figured out our plans for the model. It was pretty easy because it was an octagon.

If you have ever seen the paper project models online then you know that you will have to fold one side of the cardboard on the lengthwise side and one side of the cardboard along the bottom.

Fasten the octagon pieces to each other by fitting them into each other. Then fasten the whole piece onto another cardboard piece. We used the bottom of a water bottle box so that we would have a nice tray to carry our finished project in.

Once the base of the project was done, we fit a flat cardboard piece across the top to be a foundation for the next part. We took a styrofoam bowl and blew up a balloon and set it inside of it. We took pieces of newspaper and rolled them up to the the columns in the front.

Then it was time to cover the whole thing in the paper mache pieces. Our paper mache recipe consists of 1 part flour to 2 parts water. Then we pour in 1/4 of a bottle of Elmer's school glue.

When we covered the model in our strips of paper, we used newspaper followed up by white computer paper. That way when we were done, it would be easier to paint.

Now we just had to wait for it to dry! This is how it looked at the end of the first day!

Find out more about the Dome of the Rock by clicking on the highlighted word.