This flower diorama project was done with 4th and 5th graders with medium help from an adult. The finished project will have between one and three flowers sitting on top of a shoe box with the flower’s roots extending into the box itself. This helps children see the parts of the flower and can be used as an art or science related project. It was done in addition to teaching the function of flowers and the various parts of a flower.
Difficulty: with help, moderately easy
Time: 1-2 hours after materials are assembled
Materials
Shoe Box
Yarn (green)
Colored Paper (green and other)
Colored Cotton Balls
Hemp rope
A stick (from outside)
Rocks (from outside)
Brown or Black Marker
Green Marker or Paint
Scissors
Green Easter grass (darker is better)
Stick or liquid glue
*Hot Glue (parental help needed)
Optional: Small plastic bugs
Steps
You will need the lid of the shoebox so make sure to keep it. Turn the shoe box upside down and poke a small hole with the scissors into the bottom. You will need as many holes as you want flowers. Also, cut out a square in two opposite sides of the shoe box. In the finished diorama, you will need to be able to see inside the box to see the roots of the flower.
Take a black or brown marker and color the inside of the shoe box and under the lid. The inside of the shoe box is going to represent what’s underneath the ground. Make sure to color some places darker that others. Then take a marker or paint and color the outside of the box green.
The sticks you found outside will serve as the flowers’ stems. Wrap them tightly with the green yarn. Regular glue can be used to help secure the yarn ends, or the ends can be tied. It doesn’t have to be the neatest job; a less even job wrapping the stem gives the finished project a more art type flair.
Cut several long pieces of hemp rope. It’s important that they be different lengths, it’ll make them more convincing as roots. Tie these pieces of hemp to the stem, letting as much as possible hang loose and dangle. If just tying doesn’t keep the hemp attached, it may help to get a stapler and use a single staple to secure the roots to the stem.
Once the stem is complete, insert the roots through the hole in the bottom of the shoe box. Get an adult to help hot glue the stem (just above the roots) to the shoe box.
Next, take some colored paper and draw a flower. Cut it out and then trace it to get another flower the same size. Cut the second flower out as well. Get two colored cotton balls and glue them to the middle of the flowers where the pollen would be. Now, get the adult again and have them use hot glue to attach the flowers to the stem. The flowers will sit back to back, meaning you will have a cotton ball face out in each direction.
Taking some green paper, draw and cut out two to four (2-4) leaves and glue them to the stem as well. With stick or regular liquid glue, put the Easter grass on the outside of the shoe box for ‘grass’. Finally, scatter rocks inside the shoe box for an underground effect.
One last touch, place small plastic bugs (the type from a dollar store) inside among the rocks or in the Easter grass at the bottom of the flowers. Also, foam butterflies, lady bugs, or dragonflies would look good attached to the flower or leaves.
