How to Make a Shoebox Nativity Diorama

Build a diorama to depict the scene of the birth of Jesus.

Make your own nativity scene diorama for a Christmas decoration in your home. The scene of the birth of Christ is a story and image that most people will recognize, so as long as you include the figures of Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the manger, people will know what it is when they see your diorama. Use a shoe box as the "stage" for your nativity diorama and use basic craft materials to assemble the three-dimensional scene.

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Fine-tipped markers
• Colored pencils
• Scissors
• Shoe box
• Paint brush
• Acrylic paints
• Sticks
• Hot glue gun
• Craft grass
• Craft glue

Instructions

1. Draw 2-inch-tall people and animals to scale on a piece of heavy poster board. Draw the figures of baby Jesus in the manger, all in one figure, along with Joseph, Mary and the three wise men. Draw some sheep, goats and camels to put in and around the barn. Color the people and animals with fine tip markers or colored pencils. Use a painting or other image of the nativity as a reference for how many people to make and what they should look like. Cut out the people and animals with sharp scissors.

2. Lie a shoe box on its side and paint the inside with black or dark blue acrylic paint for the night sky. Add some swirly clouds in various spots in the sky with a slightly lighter shade of blue. Add white dots for the sky and paint one large star near the upper right corner of the back of the shoe box. This represents the star that led the three wise men.

3. Assemble a simple 2 1/2-inch-tall structure with 1/4-inch-thick sticks that you found outside. This is the barn that will be the main setting for the nativity scene. Glue the sticks together to form three 3-inch-wide walls and a 3-inch-wide ceiling with hot glue. Glue them together and glue the bottoms of the walls to the middle of the shoe box.

4. Glue thin bunches of craft grass to the sides of the barn and in a few spots along the "ground" with hot glue.

5. Run a 1/2-inch-long bead of hot glue in each spot where a person or animal will be positioned. Place the bottom edge of each figure on the glue facing toward the opening of the box and hold each one standing for three minutes to give the glue a chance to harden and hold the figure up. Use the image as a reference for where each figure should go. Wait 30 minutes for the glue to dry and move the nativity diorama where you want to put it on display.

References

• Storm the Castle: Make a Shoe Box Diorama