target landscape near by will help guide the work. If working with plaster and building a shell out of cardboard strips, the kids can help hot-glue strips by putting the clothespins on the overlapping sections (you can have them wear latex gloves if worried about the hot glue coming in contact with skin), and then they can lay the strips of masking tape over the framework. A paint roller or low, wide plastic tray allows easy paper towel dipping. A team effort works well. You dip the paper towels and use your fingers to remove excess
plaster and they lay it over a section of shell. You can show them how to fix any bunching or wrinkles with your already-plastered fingers. As plaster begins to set rather quickly (less than 10 minutes), it’s best to work in smaller sections predefined by pen marks or pins. Remember not to pour any plaster down sink drains, and part of the fun is letting the plaster start to dry on your hands, then watching it crack. For painting the base coat, kids of all ages should have no problem slathering latex paint all over (the size of brush you give them will control the
Figure 6: Kids can shape foam into hills with a forming tool, the model railroader’s version of the “safety razor.” Any foam work should be done with a mask and with a shop vac close at hand (a great job in itself for a youngster). Page 65 • May 2012 MRH
Kids and Model Railroading, page 8
Figure 7: Smaller installation pieces such as retaining walls, rock castings and tunnel portals are perfect projects for kids to develop and show off their painting skills.
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