How to Make War Dioramas for Kids
The military battles that shape a country or region in terms of politics, economics, sociology and religion create an incredible impact that makes wars fascinating to study. Students of history most often explore these battles through the written text, photographs and film but there is a way for interested learners to capture the events of wars in a tactile manner. Kids can learn to make war dioramas in which they build a stage and incorporate elements to bring a scene to life in a three-dimensional work of art.
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Things You'll Need
- Stiff cardboard
- Drawing paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Paint
- Miniature figures and items
- Modeling glue
- String
Instructions
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Pick a particular theme for your diorama. This could be battle depiction such as the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War or Joan of Arc ending the siege at Orleans during the Hundred Years' War. You also have the option of concentrating your scene on a famous war figure such as Alexander the Great or General Douglas MacArthur.
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Research the person or event you will depict. Educate yourself regarding your subject matter so you can get an intimate sense of the scene; you can add details which will help capture realism and add interest to your diorama.
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Determine the scale you will use. The shoe box is a classic set for kids to use in creating their projects but many find this small size difficult to work with. Consider going twice as large with your framework. You can use stiff cardboard to construct a "box" to house your diorama or use a box an item such as one in which a small appliance was packaged.
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Draw the scene you will reproduce in the diorama. Design on paper what you want your diorama to represent. Draw to scale as much as possible using a ruler to help you with dimensions. Remember that you will set some items in the background and others in the forefront, so keep this perspective in place.
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Create pieces starting with characters first and progressing from the largest pieces to the smallest. You don't have to build each piece from scratch. For example, you can use action figures dressed up to represent military personnel. Swanny's Models advises that you can take apart an item for just the piece you need such as removing legs from a soldier if you are going to place "him" in a tank. Keep your costs low by perusing dollar stores for small toy items such as tanks, trees and swords.
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Paint the background colors including the back, sides, top and bottoms. Choose a fast-drying paint and coat as many times as necessary to completely cover the cardboard, especially boxes that have manufacturers' logos and writing on them. Allow each coat to dry before reapplication.
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Position your scenery before you affix any item. Glue your pieces securely into the set. Consider adding a tilted bottom to the "floor" of your scene to bring a more interesting depth to the depiction. Do not overload your scene with too much in the way of items, as you do not want to detract from the central scene. Once you have the scene constructed to your satisfaction, you can use a strong adhesive such as modeling glue for securing each item in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Add moving elements to bring the diorama to life. You can do this, for instance, by incorporating a small string pulley to an item so it can be manipulated at will.
Create a title placard with the scene's title, your name and date so it becomes a little piece of "history" as well.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
