素不相识
萍水相逢
儿子几年前对电影 The Lord of The Ring 走火入魔，看了无数遍。连电影里的城堡都大中小做了三个。最大的一个是他在学校选的Independent Study项目。造好之后搬到学校时还费了不少劲。Mini Van车子后面二排座位都拆掉才放得进。搬到学校后自然是一阵轰动，作品在学校图书室里摆了好长一段时间。看看他写的报告....
Building Helm’s Deep
6th Grade
SCD School
12/29/03- 4/5/04
Day1
Today I started Helm’s Deep project. I made templates for the first two main walls. I taped together several pieces of paper to make one big sheet of paper. First I measured how big the outer wall should be. Then I draw two semicircle lines on the paper with 2” apart for the outer wall template. The 2nd inner wall template was then drawn on the paper. Once that was finished, I cut out the two semi-circle templates. I traced the outer wall template on the insulation foam my dad bought at Home Depot and cut out 5 wall pieces for each wall. The 5 wall pieces will be stacked up to make the wall.
Day 2
Cut out the inner wall pieces using the inner wall template. At this stage it was time to stacked up the wall pieces and glue them onto the big board piece to make the two main walls Then some wall spackling was spread all over the inside of the wall after the wall had been sanded down with sand paper.
Day 3
Today my dad went out and bought flexible styro-foam for the outer wall part thingy. First I cut the pieces out for the inner wall. I had to make it as long as the semicircle and a little bit taller so that the people had some cover. Once I cut it out I then glued it onto the wall. I then started to work on the Gateway for the first wall. I first drew then cut out the shape of a door in the center of the wall. Next I used foamboard and cut out two long pieces of board that I used for the two forts on the side of the Gateway. I then began to work on the centerpiece. I first cut out a rectangle shape thing that fitted the door I already cut out in the wall. Next I cut out the same size and shape of the doorway on the wall onto the rectangular foamboard piece. Then I measured some random stretched U shape and cut that out on the top of the rectangular piece. Then I made the forts out of the pieces I cut out before by making V shapes in the places where I wanted it to bend. I then glued the forts into the shapes that I wanted and then all three pieces so that they fitted the wall.
Day 4
Today I measured the distance for the two sides of the first wall to cut out the wall part thingy. Once I cut out the wall part I glued them onto the wall (I used Liquid Nails for most of my gluing).
Day 5
Today a little fort on the left side of the first wall was made the same way as the two forts on the Gateway except a little smaller. After that I started to cut out the stairs on the first wall (I figured out how many stairs I needed and how long each step would be by doing some math skills that my dad helped me with). First steps were drawn on the inside of the first wall part. Then measuring out how many steps I needed and how long they were I drew the steps. Using an exacto knife I cut along the drawn lines to cut out my stairs. The stairs were then sanded because they were a little messy.
Day 6
Work on the second wall began today. I first cut out the doorway on the far left side of the wall. Once that was done a small ramp that led up to the main second wall area was made. The center design that sticks out on the wall was made. Those pieces were cut out with foam board and the flexible styro-foam. Then stairs were made that led up to the elevated part on the centerpiece thing. Next I made the stairs that led up to the mountain on the far left just above the doorway.
Day 7
Today I finished the stair part that reached the mountain and went on to making the little door that connects the first and second wall with a small bridge. First the door was cut out. Then a cover to go over the small door was made by cutting out a long rectangular shape made of flexible styro-foam. Then a hole was cut out the same size as the door so it wasn’t covered. (All stairs besides the stairs on the wall are made out of foam board. The foam board is cut into long strips. Then each step is cut out with a shorter strip then shorter and shorter until the stairs end).
Day 8
Today the stairs for the 2nd wall was made. It was made with the same steps as I did for the first wall stairs. Cut out the stairs and sandpapered it etc.
Day 9
Started on the house thing that sits on top of the second wall. First made the two walls that cover the area were people could stand in front of the house. It was made out of foam board. Then I made stairs to lead up to the raised area were the people can stand in front of the house. Next was to glue all the pieces on to the second wall platform.
Day 10
Continued on the house. The platform that the house sits on was made. I measured out all the places where the wall that covered the platform was bent and drew a template. Then a template was traced onto foam board and cut it out. Next it was glued onto the walls with Liquid Nails.
Day 11
Now I started to make the stairs that lead up to the house. They were made out of foam board. Once those were done I drew where the house would go on the platform that holds it and started to build the house. The house was made out of foam board. It was made with 5 pieces that fit together. The front panel, back panel, side, panels, and ceiling. The 5 arches where it would lead into the mountains were then cut out. Next cereal box material was used to cut out strips that would go inside the arches so they would cover the empty space in the house. Then 4 thin strips were cut out that went down the spaces in-between each arch.
Day 12
Today the Deeping Wall which is the wall that comes off the left side of the first wall was started. First I made the main wall section were people stand. There I made it 12” long and 3” wide. I then made a small fortress the same way as I always do and made a wall thingy for the wall section. Then I made the part that connects to the first wall. That was 8” long and 1.5” wide. I then made stairs with foam board that went all the way over the 8”. I then made a wall thingy for that also.
Day 13
I started to cut out some bricks today. First I used cereal box stuff but that was too thick so I used poster paper. I cut bricks out by making and dot of some amount of cm on a long poster paper sheet. Then I drew a line from one dot to the other dot on the other side of the paper. Next I drew a dot at the top and bottom of the poster. Then I drew a line down. Once I had as many lines I could fit on the paper I cut them all out.
Day 14
Cut some more bricks.
Day 15
Cut some more bricks.
Day 16
My dad bought gray paint and I painted the first wall once.
Day 17
Made the first part of the causeway. Then I started to put bricks all over the first wall.
Day 18
Put more bricks on the first wall.
Day 19
Put more bricks on the first wall. Then I got all the bricks on and painted the wall with another coat of gray.
Day 20
Today fine sand was mixed in with a bowl of paint so there could be some texture on the wall. Once enough sand was in I painted the wall again with the textured paint so the wall would be a little more realistic.
Day 21
Put bricks all over the Deeping wall and the Causeway.
Day 22
Glued some supports to the causeway and glued the causeway to the main first wall. Also glued the first wall to a base and raised it 4”. I began to try some different styles for the rocks that are in front of Helm’s Deep. Used scraps of insulation foam and placed them in a rocky formation on the outside of Helm’s Deep.
Day 23
Tried some more styles for the rocks and got one that I think is good for the left side (there are two sides because the causeway separates the two).
Day 24
I made the side parts for the causeway and put bricks on them
Day 25
Today I glued the sides of the causeway on. I also began to put this yellow wall stuff on the rock outside the walls that I glued.
Day 26
I put all the yellow wall stuff on the rocks and put wall spackling over the rocks. I also glued the Deeping wall to the base.
Day 27
Waited for the spackling to dry. Then I put another coat of spackling on the rocks.
Day 28
Painted the second wall section gray.
Day 29
Put bricks on the second wall section.
Day 30
Put more bricks on.
Day 31
Put more bricks on
Day 32
Painted the second wall sections and the causeway and Deeping wall gray.
Day 33
Painted the second wall section and with the textured sand in the paint.
Day 34
I glued the second wall to the first wall and made the mountain form. Then I glued the mountain form to the baseboard.
Day 35
Cut out and glued insulation foam spacers (I think that’s what there called).
Day 36
Put newspaper clumps in-between the spacers to form the mountain face.
Day 37
Put tissues all over the mountain with glue.
Day 38
Put a second layer of tissues.
Day 39
Painted glue all over the tissue/mountain.
Day 40
Second layer of glue.
Day 41
Added spackling over the mountain.
Day 42
I mixed a color of gray and my dad went out to Home Depot and bought a bucket of paint to paint the mountain. I painted the mountain and the rocks.
Day 43
The mountain and rocks were given a second go over.
Day 44
I painted the base the same color as the mountain and rocks and let it dry.
Day 45
I used the lighter gray color that was used for the building and drybrushed it over the mountain and rocks for some better looks.
Day 46
Got sand and glue and glued sane onto the base.
Day 47
Put very watery glue over the sand that I had on and put a second layer of sand.
Day 48
Built the bridge connecting the first and second wall and painted it. I also started to build the tower that goes with Helm’s Deep. For the tower I first got a long tube that was used for gift-wrap. The windows at the top were drawn. Did some measuring and found I could have 4 windows. That also meant there could be 4 wing things.
Day 49
Used cereal box material and made the first small wings. They were nine inches long and 2 inches wide. They expanded out a little from the top to bottom. Then I glued the wings on.
Day 50
Made the longer wings the same way as the first smaller wings. Then I had to tape the wings on because glue was too difficult. The wings are very messy and I am thinking of how to make them neater. I then painted the tower and I am done. 
把儿子叫过来看看他几年前做的手工, 他说“I can't believe I made that. It's so good.”
