How to Make a Roman Theater Out of Cardboard

The Colosseum in Rome is one of the world's great historical and architectural wonders. If you are teaching students about Rome and its architecture, the Colosseum is an ideal place to start. Photos and illustrations don't always make clear the complexity of the design and its functions, however. To address this need, create a simple cardboard model of the structure. If treated carefully, you can use this model for years.

Download photos of the Colosseum from every direction, including from above (see the links in the Resources section). Use a graphics program to enlarge them, adjusting the scale of each image so they are the same size relative to each other.

Place tracing paper on one of the images, and trace the Colosseum. Repeat this step with the other photos.

Transfer the outlines from the tracings onto cardboard with a marker. Cut out the parts with a craft knife.

Use tape to assemble the various parts of your Colosseum. Finally, cut out the images themselves with scissors and paste them onto the cardboard sections.