Building Blocks and Roman Roads--tools for teaching History

Below are wooden blocks a friend made to use for teaching Ancient History (though they would come in handy everywhere!).  You can use them to make a Roman arch and feel what a keystone works like.  String arches together to make an aquaduct--see how supports are only needed at the extreme ends.  Or build a barrel vault and see how the outer walls would need thickness or buttressing.

Using some instructions from a website that seems to be down (offering free online Waldorf lesson plans), I made this cross-section of a Roman road in some plastic desk organizer. The layers are:

• Packed earth
• Rubble (I used gravel)
• Heavy stones (I used larger stones)
• Gravel ( I used sea salt)
• Pavers (I broke pottery into flat shards)
• Sand
• Make sure to leave a drainage ditch on each side.
• Seal all with pourable polyurethane coating and let it air out where it won't bother people for about 3-4 days.