Introduction: Jungle Diorama

About: My name is Esmeralda. I’m 18 years old. I’m all about dioramas but I’ll do other things, too. I’m a bookworm and building, creating, and the Bible are my life. "My heart said of you, 'Seek my face.' Your face,…

HERE IT IS, E.J.!

I made this diorama for my younger bro, Wils. Happy B-Day, Willie!

DISCLAIMER: I did not make the rocks or logs. They're actually from my trip to the Grand Canyon last year, in October. It was so awesome...

Step 1: Supplies and Materials You'll Need (Miscellaneous Listing)

SUPPLIES:

1. A box (any size)

2. Popsicle sticks

3. Green plastic material (I used a bag from Sprouts)

4. Green streamer

5. Clay

6. Three pom-poms

7. Ten googly eyes

8. Blue container for mushrooms

9. Yellow foam sheet

10. Greenish translucent tissue paper

11. Black AND brownish-bronzy paint (I used nail polish)

12. Pipe cleaner

13. Rocks

14. Any twigs or pieces of bark

15. Pine needles

MATERIALS:

1. Tape

2. Scissors

3. Glue (I use Liquid Cement)

4. A knife

5. Black and red markers

Step 2: Adjusting the Box's Dimensions

First, you want to cut off the flaps using a knife, then cut out a face.

You want to leave the space in the middle for the river.

Step 3: The Cave

Firstly, you'd like to trace out the area around the mushroom container, then cut it out with a knife. I had the cave in a corner, but you can have it anywhere else.

Paint the inside of the container with black paint to make it look dark inside. Then glue some pine needles on the bottom of the container. Once that's done, glue the container to the box.

To make it look like there are vines, I cut some strips of green streamer and taped it on.

Step 4: The River

I wanted it to look like the river was coming out of a dark tunnel, so I painted on a semi-circle, then taped the greenish, translucent tissue paper on the space in the box. Then I surrounded the river with some rocks and "logs" I found at the Grand Canyon.

Step 5: The Trees

The trees are made-up of popsicle sticks set in clay, with some green bag material on the top.

Color the popsicle stick with a brown crayon so that it won't look so pale.

Cut out many pieces of the green material and cut a slit in the middle, fitting it over the popsicle stick. Repeat this process until satisfied with the thickness.

Roll out a ball of clay and stick the stick in it, and flatten out the bottom so it will stand. The remaining part of the stick you can color with a green crayon.

Step 6: The Monkeys for the Trees

Take your clay and roll out an oval and two small spheres. Stick a toothpick through all three and leave it to dry for 24 hours. (If you have baking clay, you can just pop it in the oven)

Once the clay is dried, squirt some glue between the spheres/ovals and leave that to dry. Once it is, you can snip off the remaining toothpick that sticks out of the clay. Then you can apply the googly eyes and make expressions on the little monkey heads.

Step 7: The Birds

Take a pom-pom (any color), and glue on two googly eyes. Cut out a tiny triangle of yellow foam sheet, and glue that on.

Step 8: The Attachment for the Birds

I made six little holes in the cardboard and pulled the pipe cleaner through them, to make something for the birdies to sit atop.

Step 9: Putting Everything in Place

I placed a monkey tree in between two birdies, and another one farther in front. I placed the other three in front of the cave, but I didn't take pics of that...

I painted the clay trunk for the trees the color of the stick. You'll notice in the cover photo, that one tree is...a wine color. Yeah, that one was a mistake, but I used it anyway.

I glued a "log" beside the river's left side. I also glued a whole bunch of pine needles, but there wasn't a pic of that either...

Anyway, you're finished! Well, I am.