How to Build a Model Barn

Find small barns under Christmas trees in villages, around model trains, or in children's play sets. Barns are often a part of farm scenes. Instead of purchasing a miniature barn to use, create one yourself out of foam that will be personal to you. Supervise children and allow them to help you make a craft barn. Learn to build a model barn and try it out yourself or help your child make one of their own.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Craft foam Glue or Tape Pencils or Markers Paper

1. 

   Cut the sides of the barn out of craft foam. Make the barn any size you would like. Create two sides longer than the other two for a rectangular barn. While the end can be a different length than the side, they must be the same height.

2. 

   Create a door for each end of the barn. Cut out a square from a piece of paper the size you would like your doors to be. Sketch the doors onto the paper to give the impression they are made of wood. Glue or tape the doors to the end sides of the barn. Cut up the middle of the door and across the top of the doors, cutting through the foam as well. Leave the sides of the door attached so they will open and close.

3. 

   Use your scissors to cut the roof and gable ends out. Use the sides of the barn as a pattern for each roof side. Glue or tape one side of the roof to the other so that the ends of the roof are pointed. Cut a triangle out of foam for the gable ends. The triangle must be the same length as the barn ends. Use the barn ends and the stand the roof on its end for a pattern if needed. Glue the gable to the top of each end of the barn.

4. 

   Take up one long side of the barn. Cut out a very small rectangle from the foam. The rectangle should be about a quarter the size of the barn side. Lay the barn piece so that the side that will be inside the barn is facing up. Attach this rectangle perpendicularly to the middle of the barn side. Draw a ladder leading up to this rectangle making a loft inside the barn.

5. 

   Lay out the side of the barn without the loft. Make sure the side facing up will be the inside of the barn. Cut out a small rectangle a little smaller than the loft rectangle. Cut three equal squares out of the foam. These should be a third the length of the rectangle. Glue one side of each square so that they are each perpendicular to the barn side. Attach the rectangle to the outer side of each square, making two boxes. These are the stalls of the barn.

6. 

   Attach each of the barn sides together to form a rectangle. Lay the roof over the barn sides but do not glue or tape it down. This way you can lift off the roof to look down inside.