Habitat Diorama

Find lots of creative and out-of-the box ideas for the classic shoebox diorama craft. Learn all about animals and their natural habitats by constructing a diorama using paper, a shoebox, and lots of imagination.

Materials Needed

  • Shoebox or similar-sized box
  • Acrylic paint
  • Paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Crayons or colored pencils
  • Scotch tape
  • Paint brush
  • Palette
  • Glue gun (optional)

Habitat Diorama

Safety Guidelines

  • Always let your child use child-safe scissors.
  • Keep the glue gun out of children's reach.
  • Watch out for this sign Ask for an adult's help. It means you need an adult's help for the particular step.

Recommended Books


Steps

Step 1a Habitat Diorama 1. Scout around for a shoebox or similar-sized box. A larger box gives you more space to work with and allows you to put in more details.
Step 1b Habitat Diorama Ask for an adult's help If you're using a box other than a shoebox, cut out the box's front panel. Use tape or glue gun to fix any open flaps in place.
Step 2 Habitat Diorama 2. Paint the exterior of your box with acrylic paint. Choose a color that complements your intended diorama design. If you're using light-colored paint, you may need to apply at least two coatings of paint.

You may also choose to leave the box exterior unpainted if you already like its existing color.
Step 3a Habitat Diorama 3. There are two ways to color the inside of the box. In both instances, plan the colors for the foreground and background to create the tone for your diorama.

a.) Cover the box interior with colored paper or craft foam.
Step 3b Habitat Diorama b.) Or paint the box with acrylic or poster paint.
Step 4 Habitat Diorama 4. Paint on some background details and/or glue on various materials for added texture.
Step 5 Habitat Diorama 5. Create the animals for your diorama by drawing them, cutting them out from magazines, downloading/ printing out online clipart, or printing them out from these animal template sets:
Step 6 Habitat Diorama 6. Note that the animals need to be able to stand up so use card stock for printing out the animals or draw them on construction paper/card stock. If you used ordinary paper, glue them onto construction paper or cardboard.

Color your animal drawings or print-outs.
Step 7 Habitat Diorama 7. Cut out the animals.
Step 8 Habitat Diorama 8. Plan the layout for your diorama. You can glue on some of the animals onto the background.
Step 9a Habitat Diorama 9. Make side, bottom, or center tabs for the rest of the animals. These will allow the animals to be attached to the bottom and/or sides of your box. There are a number of ways to make the tabs:

a.) Make L-shaped paper tabs and glue these at the back of the animal's legs (bottom tabs) and/or sides (side tabs).
Step 9b Habitat Diorama b.) Incorporate the tabs into foreground elements such as grass, rocks, or snow. Draw the foreground element, including the tabs (shown in shaded area). Cut out the whole piece and glue it at the base of the animal's legs. Fold the tabs to allow the animal to stand or be attached to the box.
Step 9b Habitat Diorama c.) Fold a rectangular piece of paper on both ends to create a center tab. This tab allows you attach an animal to the background (fish) or to other elements (bee atop a flower) in your diorama.

d.) Not in photo: Draw side and/or bottom tabs before cutting out your animals in Step 7.
Step 10 Habitat Diorama 10. Position the animals inside your diorama. Glue the tabs to the bottom and/or sides of the box.
Step 11 Habitat Diorama 11. You may add additional details on the foreground such as these small floating chunks of ice for a polar-themed diorama.
Step 12 Habitat Diorama 12. This craft can be used to foster environmental awareness and concern for nature. This Polar Diorama shows the plight of polar animals in their melting habitat.

More ideas are presented below. Use them as a springboard for your own habitat diorama project.

More Ideas

More Ideas for a Polar Diorama You can use self-hardening clay or salt dough to provide a material to anchor the animals and other foreground elements into. This will eliminate the need for any tabs on the animals- a great option for younger kids.
Safari Diorama Add interesting textures to your diorama by using other kinds of paper like sand paper (lion's rock), natural fiber paper (ground), crepe paper (river) or textured paper (grass). You can also decorate the box to enhance the look for your chosen habitat. In this Safari Diorama, African-inspired symbols were drawn on the box using puffy paint.
Coral Reef Diorama Position your box standing up if you need vertical space for your diorama such as for a Coral Reef Diorama. Sea animals are an all-time favorite by youngsters and simple enough for the little ones to draw. These cute printable sea animals are also a delight to color.

Go to Coral Reef Diorama craft.
Garden Diorama This Garden Diorama shows the garden as a habitat for little bugs and critters. The shoebox used for this diorama is a one-piece type (lid is attached to the main box) positioned vertically.

Go to Garden Diorama craft.
Pet Lovers Diorama Many of us share our homes with pet animals. In a sense a house is a habitat for our pets. Create a Pet Lover's Diorama showcasing the different animals that we care for in our homes. Draw your own pet animals or download animal clipart from online sources such as Disney-Clipart.com or abcteach.

Go to Pet Lover's Diorama craft.

Browse all Diorama Crafts.
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