Cardboard City
WHAT WE ARE DOING
WHY WE ARE DOING IT
To represent a full picture of life in medieval times
Bring your city to life with people, objects, and visual interest.Bring your city to life with people, objects, and visual interest.
ACTIVITY PROMPT
Bring parts of your city to life with spinning, sliding, or moving cardboard elements.
ACTIVITY MATERIALS
- Sturdy material for the 3D sculpture (thin cardboard, 180g paper).
- Cutting tools (scissors, craft knife, etc.)
- Ruler and pencil for measurements.
- Glue/tape (glue gun or craft glue)
- Rubber bands, zip tie, brads
- Popsicles and white string
1st
Assemble
- Place buildings after streets and open spaces are marked.
- Start with large, central buildings first (cathedral, city hall, guild halls).
- Then add medium buildings (merchant houses, tavern, guild workshops).
- Finally, place small houses and suburban buildings around the edges.
- Make sure all districts are accessible via streets.
- Adjust building placement or street width if needed.
2nd
Add Everyday Objects
Think of what you can add as details
- Carts: place near markets or along streets.
- Wells: put in plazas, near churches, or in residential areas.
- Benches: add near plazas or along wider streets.
Add Natural Features
- Trees or small bushes in plazas, along streets, and in suburban gardens.
- Green paper can represent gardens and fields in suburban districts.
Decorate Buildings
- Add simple painted textures or patterns on building facades (windows, doors, roof tiles).
- Optional: add small flags on towers, market stalls, or city gates.
CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: JOINERY
Brads
Flanges
Brace
Skewer
Bend
Hinge
Slots
Butt Joint
CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: Mechanism
Gears
Scissor lift
Grabbing
Waving
Tentacle
Curving
Lever
Fanning
CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: Mechanism
Slider
Wheel and Axel
Pulley
Spiral
SCISSOR
Joining:
Skewer
SPINNER
SLIDER
RAMP/ SCREW
PULLEY
TENTACLE
- Cardboard
- Straw
- String