Prepare for your task by understanding exactly what you would like to create by making a two-dimensional map on a piece of paper. Figure out which landforms, such as mountains, hills, cliffs and valleys, you want to create. You can base your project on the real topography of a certain place, or you can have fun and use your imagination.
To create a three-dimensional diorama of a natural landscape, such as a mountainous area, you will need old newspaper or scratch paper that can be molded into different shapes and sizes, glue, a basin, water, acrylic, poster or watercolor paint and a working base, such as an old table, for your diorama that will be strong enough to support all the weight you are going to be putting on it.
Pour your glue into the basin and add just enough water to water down the glue. Mountains and hills don't really have a uniform look, so crumple your newspaper according to the outline of your map. Use sticky tape or pins to keep your mountains and hills in place. Once you have your mountains and hills in place, the next move is to soak flat pieces of paper in your water-glue basin, so that you can create your terrain. Next, take the wet flat pieces of paper and spread them over the surface of your base. When you are done and everything looks wet and mushy, leave the diorama in a dry room overnight.
Leaving your model overnight will give it a semi-hard shell the next day. If you think your landforms are still soft, brush them with glue again and let them dry for a few hours. Now that you have your landscape, you can start painting. After letting the paint dry, you can add miscellaneous details to your topography map using clay and toys.
If you don't want to get your hands dirty with all the glue and paint, then you can use your math skills and a photo to virtually survey the topography of a known location. For instance, if you chose to measure the average height and spacing of sand dunes in a location on Mars, you would examine the photo, measure the dunes in the photo and use your geometry and trigonometry skills to determine the average height and spacing of the dunes.
Don't limit yourself to a topographic project that focuses on the natural features of the Earth or heavenly bodies, because the broader sense of the term topography also includes man-made features on the Earth. So if you wanted to get creative you could make a clay model of a famous landmark in your local area or if you are culinarily inclined, you could bake a cake that resembles a popular attraction in your city.