Things You'll Need:
- Waterproof container
- Sand
- Paint
- Rocks
- Miniature, plastic animals
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Step 1
Choose a container for your diorama. A small-scale diorama can be made in a shoe box; use a clear plastic bin to create a large diorama. While you can't use water in a shoe box diorama, you can paint water levels on your box to show high and low tides.
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Step 2
Paint the sides of your container to replicate the rocky surroundings. Use some real rocks securely glued to the container for a three-dimensional detail.
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Step 3
Add sand to the bottom of your diorama to coat the bottom and at a depth between 1 and 2 inches. Take plastic animals or replicas you make and secure them to the rocks and sand with glue. Replicas like starfish, barnacles, kelp and mussels are appropriate to use in the sand and on the rocks. Use animals such as black bears, sea lions, mink or shore birds around the tide pool diorama as these animals look for food at low tide.
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Step 4
Pour water into a tide pool diorama housed in a waterproof container. Gently pour enough water to cover the sand at a depth of two inches to signify high tide. To create a low-tide effect, tip your diorama to the side. Animals that live in tide pools thrive in high tide and are vulnerable to predators during low tide.
