Hands-On Activities

How to make paper mache mountains is a fun way to learn geography, learn about the Chimborazo mountains and South America. Also, I have this page Free South America Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

June 3rd is celebrated as Chimborazo Day by many in Ecuador.

Chimborazo is an ice-capped inactive mountain.

Any of the geography of South America holds a special place in my heart since we lived there for a few years.

With an elevation less than that of Mount Everest, the Chimborazo of the Andes wins the award for being the highest point on earth because it’s the furthest point from earth’s center.

This is a great opportunity to learn about it and a few other famous mountain ranges around the world by learning how to make paper mache mountains. 

We are going to learn how to make paper mache mountains with a new medium, rather than flour and water that can mold easily.

Too, we are going to make our own mod podge mixture.

Facts about Chimborazo

• The Chimborazo is a dormant volcano that erupted 1,400 years ago.
• The word Chimborazo either means “women of snow” or “mountain of ice.”
• Although it’s not a hard mountain to climb, the high altitude can make you sick.
• It is 20,565 ft high and on the equatorial line. So, it makes it the closest point to the sun on planet Earth.
• Alexander von Humboldt in 1802, traveled to modern day Ecuador to climb Mount Chimborazo.
• In many dialects of Quichua or Quechua, “chimba” means “on the other side” as in “on the other side of the river” or “on the opposite bank.
• It is a stratovolcano.

More Facts about Mountains

• Other famous mountains include The Matterhorn, Mount Fuji, Denali, Mont Blanc, Everest, and Mount Kilimanjaro.
• The largest range of mountains is in the Atlantic Ocean known as The Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
• Mountains cover roughly one-fifth of the earth’s land surface.
• 75 percent of the world’s countries have mountains in them.

What Is A Mountain?

The dictionary defines a mountain as “a large natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level.

Mountains are made from rocks and soil.

In addition, mountains must be higher than 1968.5 feet otherwise they are classified as a hill.

How Is A Mountain Formed?

All mountains are formed by the movement of tectonic plates in one of three ways:

• Volcanic explosion
• Tectonic faults 
• Tectonic collision

When the boundaries between two tectonic plates move further apart, the result is described as a divergent boundary.

When two plates collide, the outcome is called a convergent boundary.

What Kinds Of Mountains Are There?

There are 5 different types of mountains.

1. Fold Mountains
2. Fault-block Mountains
3. Dome Mountains
4. Volcanic Mountains
5. Plateau Mountains

Next look at some of these other resources about mountains.

Resources for Learning About Mountains and How to Make Paper Mache Mountains

• Rocky Mountains Oregon Trail Fun Large Diorama Craft for Kids
• 6 Unit Study Resources: Mountain Men – Explorers of the West
• How Does the Power of Ice Shape Mountains
• How to Memorize the Countries of South America & Mountain Climate Zones Minibooks

Additionally, look at resources for learning about South America.

South America Activities

• 9 Free South America Country Reports for Kids Notebooking Pages
• Free South America Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas
• Appreciating the Culture of South America Through Dance
• Free Machu Picchu Mini Book & Completed South America Lapbook
• South America Unit Study– Colorful Free Printable Map
• South America Geography Salt Dough Map + Printable Pennants
• South America Unit Study resources

Then, add some vocabulary words.

Vocabulary Words About Mountains

Here is a small list of vocabulary words you may run into while studying mountains.

• Mountain-Large natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level.
• Mountain Range-A mountain range is a series or chain of mountains that are close together.
• Peak-The pointed top of a mountain.
• Ridgeline-The topmost edge along a mountain ridge.
• Valley-A low area of land between hills or mountains.
• Elevation-Height above a given level, especially sea level.

Finally, look how to make these fun paper mache mountains.

How to Make Paper Mache Mountains

I bought foil, a roll of brown shipping paper, and masking tape a Dollar Tree with plenty of everything left over for future projects.

If you have a newspaper or other supplies already on hand you can use that and save a little more money.

This is a super messy project.

You will want to lay something down indoors like a plastic tablecloth or head outside for this one.

Also, keep a wet rag nearby for wiping little hands coated in the glue mixture.

You will need:

• Craft paper or Newspaper 
• School glue
• Water
• Masking tape
• Aluminum foil
• paint/paint brushes

First, prepare your base by cutting a square of cardboard or using a foam science board to be a little larger than you would like the base of your mountain to be.

Ball up paper to form the bulk and the basic shape of your mountain on your baseboard”. Use masking tape to hold it all together and secure it down to the board. Continue stacking and adding until you have a good general size and shape.

Cut or tear your paper into long 1” strips, but you can also just use random ragged shapes, it will all work out.

In a medium bowl mix together 2 parts glue to 1 part water, combining well.

Paper Mache Mountain Craft

Toss in a couple of handfuls of paper and make sure they are all covered with the mixture.

 Run each strip of paper through the glue mixture until well-saturated. Scrape off some of the excess using the side of the bowl.

Begin layering your strips over the form you made, overlapping a bit. You can go in any direction, don’t smooth out every piece, you can crinkle some and bunch them up a bit to create ridgelines and dimensions. Be sure to add some to the base to create the texture of the land around the mountain.

I like to cover everything with a layer or two of aluminum foil to smooth out some of the rough areas and hold everything together because it’s pliable. You can also use it to help form your shape. Remember that you don’t want everything perfect, you want it to appear rough and natural as it would in nature.

With this kind of well-built-up base and this type of glue mixture, I find that 3 or 4 layers are often sufficient to create even and well-covered surfaces. It also seems to dry much quicker, especially if you put it out in the sun.

Allow it to dry completely.

Paint your mountain as well as the flatland.

Once dry you can add snowcaps, shadows, and any other details you want to the painted portion, dry again.

To add a little more interest and texture you can use glue.

You can use this technique to recreate Chimborazo or any other mountains you like!