Our eldest has quite distinct, intense interests that last for a certain period of time- whether it be trains, cooking, mermaids etc. His latest obsession- brown bears. Thus, we have all been learning about brown bears and decided to make a mini habitat together. This could be a great project for school for a different spin on the traditional shoe box habitat project. Materials Piece of cardboard (this can be from a box etc.) Cardstock Popsicle stick or tongue depressor Scissors Craft knife (to be used by an adult)/ cutting board Paint Paint brush Craft tray Smock Embellishments (we used pom poms) Markers Scissors Ruler (optional- you might find this helpful if you want a straight pathway) Pencil/eraser Craft glue Directions Think about a scene that you want to create. We created a nature/habitat scene, but you could create a car with a background of the city etc.. Sketch out your plan for your scene on your cardboard in pencil. Don your smock and put your cardboard in your craft tray. Paint in what you would see on the ground of your chosen habitat or scene. Allow it to dry overnight. Glue on any embellishments that you might like (we chose to use pom poms for small bushes). Draw out a picture of your animal or any other item that you would like for the moving component of your scene. Cut out your animal. Have an adult cut out (with a craft knife, we recommend putting a cutting board underneath) a pathway for your moving component. Ours was going to be in a straight line, so we drew the line with a ruler, staying about 5 cm/2 inches away from the edges. Pop your popsicle stick up through the slit and run it through the pathway to make sure it has been fully cut. Take it out, glue your animal on top and let it dry overnight. Then pop the bottom of you stick through your scene and have fun moving your animal about in their habitat! Purpose Learning about and creating a replica of an animal habitat Figuring out ways to make moving components in projects Safety Notes A craft knife should be used by an adult. Be sure to store it away from children following use. Use non-toxic products. Exercise care when using scissors and have adult supervision. Please like & share: Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
