Habitat Diorama

Learn all about animals and their natural habitats by constructing a diorama using paper, a shoebox, paper, and lots of imagination.	Safety Tips Kids 8 years and younger should use child-safe scissors. Keep the glue gun out of young children's reach. Watch out for this sign . It means an adult's help is needed for the particular step.
Materials Shoebox or similar-sized box Construction paper or card stock Acrylic paint Crayons or colored pencils Scissors White glue Scotch tape Paint brush Glue gun (optional)

Steps

	1.	Prepare the box 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.
		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.
	2.	Paint the box exterior (optional) Painting the outside of your box is optional but if you wish to do so, use acrylic paint.
	3.	Color the box interior 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. Use white glue to fix the edges of the paper in place.
		b.) Paint the inside of the box with acrylic or poster paint.
	4.	Add background details Paint on some background details and/or glue on various materials for added texture.
	5.	Draw or print out the animals Draw the animals, cut them out from magazines or print out online images. You can also print out these animal templates: Jungle Animals Polar Animals Safari Animals Sea Animals
	6.	Color and cut out the animals The paper animals should be able to stand up so use card stock for printing them out or draw them on construction paper. Color and cut out the animals.
	7.	Background animals Plan the layout for your diorama. You can glue on some of the animals onto the background.
	8.	Create paper tabs 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).
		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.
		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 6.
	9.	Position the animals Position the animals inside your diorama. Glue the tabs to the bottom and/or sides of the box.
	10.	Finishing touches You may add additional details on the foreground such as these small floating chunks of ice for a polar-themed diorama.
	11.	Besides learning about animals and their habitats, this craft can be used to foster awareness on environmental issues and concern for nature. For instance, 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

	Salt dough or clay - 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 or fabric 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 want to emphasize depth 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 printable sea creatures and corals are also a delight to color.
	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.
	Pet Lover's 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 featuring the different animals that we care for in our homes. Draw your own pet animals or print out animal images from online sources. You can also browse for more diorama projects.

Related categories:

Back to top

blogger counter