Inflate round balloons with air and cover with strips of paper mache. After the paper mache has hardened, first paint the equator to divide the northern and southern hemispheres. Next, paint the continents, oceans and other landmarks on the globe. As an alternative to painting, a map can be printed from the Internet and glued to surface of the paper mache. These globes can be displayed in the classroom or manipulated by the children as a point of reference for their studies in geography.
Children can build a relief map using paper mache. Relief maps include a considerable amount of detail, so these work best for specific geographical regions. First, cut out the shape of the region on a piece of stiff cardboard. Next, build the paper mache to different heights to represents the varying elevations within a particular region. The elevations should include valleys, plains, mountains and water features. This project also benefits children by teaching them how to use topographical maps when they come across them in their future studies.
Paper mache can be used to create a three dimensional replica of a prominent geographical landmark. Examples of landmarks might include a specific mountain, or valley. The foundation of a large landmark can be made of chicken wire or loosely packed newspaper. Paper mache layers can be added on top of the foundation to give the surface strength. Once the outer layer of paper mache has dried, the landmark can be painted with glue and covered in a material that is of a similar composition as the landmark, such as sand, dirt, or grass.
A paper mache map of a neighborhood or school ground can be constructed using paper mache. Depending on the complexity of the neighborhood and the developmental ability of the children, this project may be done individually or as a group project. The foundation of the map should be cut from a piece of stiff cardboard. The map should include the geographic regions of their neighborhood that the children are familiar with, such as a local dam, park, nature reserve, creeks, woods, etc. After covering the cardboard with paper mache, the children can either paint additional details on their map or attach miniature replicas of the details present in their neighborhood.