WW1 Topic Box

The Topic Box is growing, my brain has kicked in and Ive more ideas of what to put in it at last.

I mentioned the swell paper diagram, so will post a picture of it here, assuming blogger allows me to do so.
Ive also printed out , explanatory text in large print, about the trenches with braille laid over the laminated pages. They work really well this way with our VI children and are easy to wipe clean when they come back off loan.
Im going to include pics too of the trenches model.
Its set in a plastic container, and isnt to any particular scale, except if anything, its suitable for small fingers to explore.
I started by laying an A3 paper in the container and drawing roughly the layout I was going for.
Using a stanley knife, I incised through the paper, leaving outline marks with the blade on the plastic, then simply drew over them with a black marker, so Id know where to position things.
Does that make sense? Maybe the pics will explain it, but blogger is playing up and Ive had to start this post again and will try and insert pics when Ive got all the text in place.
I used packing styrofoam pieces as a former base, building them up here and there, see piccy.
Then I used ModRoc, its what they wrap round broken limbs at hospital, to 'pot' it whilst it heals. And I used that to build up layers so the trenches and tunnel opening has taken shape.
Obviously it will need painting and various corrugated sheets ( silver cardstock) and hazel fence panels placed in situ - woven like wallpaper? or I could sit and weave some clematis fronds and allow them to dry?....nah lifes too short as it is!)
I have left the suggestion of a warm and dry 'command centre' so that will have a door in it, though not sure theres enough room for it to actually open.
Im wondering about barbed wire on the 'no mans land' area above the trenches now. You can buy miniature barbed wire but chances are that it too will be sharp!
I dont want any VI child or teachers aide! impaled on the barbed wire so will have to think round that lol
I will trial some novelty yarn, like eyelash knitting yarn maybe, soaked in something to make it firm to the touch.
Okay lets see if blogger will play ball and load in some pics!

heavens, its worked.................!

so thats the diagram and feels raised where the black print is, with brailled text stuck over the printed text.

Here's the marker pen design, showing the command

centre with a door top left. The tunnel dotted lines bottom right and showing the bendy route the trenches took, rather than dug out in straight lines. So it cut down the blast and shrapnel from bombs that landed within the trenches.

the same model from the reverse ....

And heres modroc is position, forming the general shape of the model. Its not looking too bad at the moment and Im quite pleased with the sizing, though in one passage the soldiers would need to shimmy through lol But it will give a child the general outline to feel with their fingers.

Next week when its thoroughly dried through I will paint it and add detail to it. Whilst I was making a right mess with the modroc, I also made a cat shape, ready to wrap in bandages, shes going to become a mummified cat for the Egyptian Topic Box...........but it will WW2 after this one, unless I fancya  break from war torn topics!

Of course blogger wont let me post her piccy.......hey ho