Baseball Cube Diorama

This idea was one that was inspired by a trajectory of ideas:  Amanda of Barley and Birch made this cool aquarium (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxht_FnhiDR/) for Arielle of Art Camp LA’s lizards: (https://www.artcampla.com/new-blog/up-cycled-cereal-box-lizards).  We then took that diorama idea and extended it to another material we had on hand- these cubes for displaying baseballs!  What I like about this idea, is that it is a starting concept where then each child can personalize it based on what they might be interested in or various themes that they might like.  This is often what I did when teaching art in school- show the children a technique and then have then apply it to a topic or theme of their choice!  As you can tell- the kids really went with this- making more and more of them! 

Materials

• Baseball display cube
• Paint pens (we like the Posca brand)
• Cardstock and whatever types of paper you have on hand
• Scissor
• Pencil/ paper
• Glue

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Think of an idea for your cube.  If you want, sketch it out on paper beforehand.  When you are creating, think about what you would put onto the background- back of the cube.  What will you create for the foreground- the front of the cube?  Your paper cut-outs will form the middle ground, glued onto the little parts where the the baseball stands.   What might you see surrounding your scene?  You can add this to the sides.  These are just thinking points, go with whatever strikes you!

• We used POSCA paint pens which did really well on the surface and allow for the children to create finer details than a traditional brush.  You can outline your details with a permanent marker like a Sharpie if you like, like our son did with on his city scene!  Remember to shake your paint pens prior to using them, so you can have good coverage of your paint.

• Allow each side to dry before moving onto the next, gluing your paper pieces last.

• Display your work!

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Purpose

• Thinking about what makes the background, middle ground and foreground!

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Follow product directions.