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Instructions on How to Build a Model of the Middle Colony

The middle colonies consisted of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. These colonies consisted in farms that focused on food, and not necessarily cash crops like tobacco or cotton like the southern states. Additionally, there were two large cities in the middle colonies, New York City and Philadelphia. The rest of the area consisted mainly of farms and small communities. A diorama of the middle colonies may consist of a larger city, farm community or small colonial town.

Things You'll Need

Plywood
Pencil
Paint
Chicken wire
Paper mache
Cardboard
Scissors
Model glue
Model figurines

Instructions

- 1
  Draw a diagram of the model you want to create. If you are including a town you should have the layout of the typical colonial town, with the shops that would be in town including a blacksmith and a miller. If you are doing farmland you may want to include more than one farm in the model. Depending on your model's size, you may be able to include several farms around a central town.
- 2
  Prepare the plywood base for the model. The base should be solid or have supports under it if made of more than one piece of plywood. Sketch the plans for where you want the buildings, as well as the geographical features such as hills, roads and streams you want to include in the model.
- 3
  Glue chicken wire to the plywood base to form hills. Cover the chicken wire with paper mache. Allow the paper mache to fully dry before you move on to painting the plywood base.
- 4
  Construct the buildings you have planned for your model. Cardboard makes a good building material for buildings. Painting the outside details on the buildings before you glue them together can make it easier to get the details on the buildings just right. Most farms included multiple outbuildings in addition to the farmhouse. Allow the buildings to dry.
- 5
  Paint the plywood base according to your plan; paint bodies of water blue. You can buy model grass to apply to the plywood base or just use the paint. You should also paint the paper mache at the same time.
- 6
  Attach the buildings to the base using glue or tacks. Be sure the buildings are firmly attached. Allow them to dry completely before moving on to your next step.
- 7
  Add accessories to finish your model. People, animals, fences, wagons and plants are what makes a model stand out. You can make your own, or purchase correct period figurines through a modeling store.

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