Desert in a Shoebox
Make a shoebox diorama.
Materials
- Shoe box (or other small box)
- Paper
- Markers
- Scissors
- Old magazines
- Sand
- Play-dough or clay
- Tape or glue
- Small recycled or natural objects such as rocks, bottle caps, et cetera
Directions
After watching this episode, help your child make a shoebox diorama of the desert. Draw or cut out magazine pictures of the different plants and animals you find in the desert. Make bright-colored snakes and lizards from clay or play-dough. Turn the shoebox on its side so that the bottom of the box becomes the background of your scene. Glue sand to what's NOW the bottom of the box. Glue the pictures to bottle caps or folded strips of paper so that they can stand up. You may want to add small rocks and weeds to the scene. In the background (the inside bottom of the shoebox) you can glue a drawing of a stunning desert sunset!
Talk About It
The songs Ariana and her mariachi band sing are in Spanish. Mora translates some of the words for Buster. Music is a great way to learn phrases in another language. The rhythm and melody makes it easy to remember the words. If you know a song or rhyme in a language other than English, teach it to your child. At your local library, there are many wonderful picture books and music tapes that introduce children to Spanish words and phrases. Two examples in the Related Books list are "De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children" and "¡Fiesta!"
Related Books
- De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children by José-Luis Orozco
- Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus by Barbara Bash
- ¡Fiesta! by Ginger Foglesong Guy
- Hooray! A Piñata! by Elisa Kleven
- Just Us Women by Jeannette Caines
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