Building Airport Model - Not a child's play!

Making an airport model was the holiday project my 3.8 year old son got during the recent puja break. While he just about mouths aeloplyne, I was wondering what he will learn from this session of building. Apparently there are quite a few lessons I learnt -

•  Don't keep the tubes of paint open and drift off elsewhere.The kid's got a      fertile imagination and an open arena to sprout his artistic tendancies
•  Don't take your eyes off the fevicol tube, else you know who is busy squeezing it away !
•  The colour papers if left on their own will be torn to smithereens and played with gay abandon---
•  Scissors and sticking tapes go hand-in-hand and the kid loved sticking the blades of the scissors with the tape.
•  The kid knows we are a picture of seriousness and concentration. And that's the time to climb & perch on us ! 

You get the drift right? so after what seemed an eternity in making him just watch and not do anything, myself and hubby kicked off the airport model

We shopped for

• Thin Cardboard
• Black Chart Paper
• A thick cardboard  (used the inverter outer packing cover)
• Scissors
• Fevicol/Glue
• Colour Papers (Green, Yellow, Brown)
• Acryllic Colours
• Sticking Tape/Cello Tape
• Pins

And most importantly

• Toy Aeroplane Set - complete with model planes,pilots,air hostess,portable staircases,aero bridges---)

(Yeah the set cost a good INR 400/- but so worth it)

Ascertain the size of the model you want to make and cut the thin carboard in to the size. To make it more sturdier cut a similar size off the thick cardboard (in this case the inverter outer packing) and stick the thin cardboard on top of it. Cut thin strips of green paper for the grass and stick all around as shown.

Cut a  rectangular strip of black chart paper for the runway (the length almost 80% of the model length) and stick it in one side of the model

Colour it to represent a proper runway with arrows representing takeoff,blinkers et al.

Some more detailing

I used a cardboard stationary box to mould the ATC.

For the cylinderical part of the ATC, the rectangular box was used by sticking a colour paper around it. For the round structure on top of it , I cut a piece of thick cardboard and shaped it with cello tape. The round part was further prepped up with a colour paper and stuck on to the cylinderical part. Finally stick the tower on the corner of the model. Paint square windows around the tower.

Glue colur papers on some rectangular cardboard boxes and stick it on the model to represent buildings such as waiting area. 

Finally place/glue/stick the toy planes, aero bridges, the pilots strategically all over

The only put-off was I purchased oil colours instead of the acryllic colours, as a result of which a few window painting spread and gave a smudged halo effect. All -in-all a pat on the back to me and hubby. I have never made an airport model or for that matter of fact any model (park/post office and the ilk); so the 4 hour long marathon crafting session was euphoric. Did my son learn anything at all ? Not sure but he had loads of fun !