Another thing most understand about her is that she tends to want to do all of a project at one time or not at all. I was determined to use this opportunity to encourage the steps and processes over a week or so. Plus, I wasn't sure how else we could squeeze it in with our already very full days.
One day we researched dioramas. The next day we brainstormed a list of things to include in a diorama for a coyote. Then we listed the materials we have. We also practiced modifying our lists so as to include the things we came across in my crafter's hoarder stash.
Vanessa's first diorama:
1. The "chicken box" from Christmas made a perfect mobile model. She used blue construction paper to create a stream. She painted the blue paper with blue glitter paint to give it shimmer like water. She then cut and placed green construction paper for grasslands along the stream.She lined what would become the sky with light blue paper.
2. Out of fuzzy balls and mini water balloons, she chose a balloon for the sun, which she hung by a string and fixed with a brad. She used pipe cleaners to create birds in the sky and also hung them with string and brads. She used leftover pipe cleaner as a snake by the mountain.
3. She crumpled and glued brown mailing paper for a mountain and burrow. (She also wanted to paint a snow cap on the mountain and place cotton ball clouds in the sky, but by Sunday, she was satisfied with what she had.) She used leftover green construction paper as bushes to line the end of the stream and mountain.
4. She cut out little yellow and orange pieces of paper to place in the stream as fish. She glued beans in clusters for rocks and piles of rocks. She glued sand from Clearwater, Florida in one section to represent a desert.
5. She painted a red wolf with grey and white to look more like a coyote. "Everyone else got their's from Michael's." We could too, but why spend money when we have something that will work?!
In the end, Vanessa was very pleased and proud of her work. We are too.
