How to make an ocean diorama - Page 1 beginning

How to Make an Ocean Diorama - Part 1 Gathering the materials and tools.

Here is a list of the materials and tools you will need to make this diorama ( you can of course get creative! And add or subtract materials).

1 Cookie Tin (You won't need the cover
Construction paper ( I used blue and green)
Crayons, paints, or colored pencils
1 piece of cardboard about 2 feet by 1 foot
some cellophane wrap or saran wrap. I used a plastic sandwich bag (this covers the porthole)
Tape, either masking or cellophane
White glue that works good with construction paper. Even paste is fine
Scissors
About 2 hours of time!
A pencil or marker for drawing lines

Step One: Making the Porthole and the Base for the Ocean Diorama

drawing the diorama base and porthole

Using the cookie tin as a template, lay it on the cardboard and draw the base and the porthole like you see here. the base looks kind of funny but it will be folded up nicely and become a stand for the diorama. The outer ring of the circle is the same size as the cookie tin. The inner ring is about an inch inside the outer ring -so about an inch thick.

painted porthole and base

Now paint the porthole and the base. I only painted what will turn out to be the front of the base but you can paint it all if you want. Notice the little bolts I painted on the porthole. This makes a nice detail.

If you don't have any corrugated cardboard like this you can use any type of stiff cardboard like a cereal box. Use crayons, paints or anything else to make it look nice.

cut out the porthole and base

Now cut out the porthole and the base just like you see here in the picture. When cutting out the porthole you should cut the inside hole first then cut around the outside of the porthole. This makes it much easier to handle.

Kids: If you are uncomfortable with scissors please ask an adult to help! This also may take some work with a utility knife or x-acto knife so ask for help!

base folded

Fold up the base like this and tape it so it keeps its shape. See how it will be like a little cradle for the cookie tin to sit in?

You can put this aside for now. We will attach it to the cookie tin once the whole diorama is completed.

attach the cellophane

Turn the porthole over and tape the clear plastic to the back of it. I used a sandwich bag. Make it strong and tape it all the way around. Your porthole now has glass!

You can put this aside for now. We will attach it to the diorama when it is completed.

Let's continue and work on the actual ocean diorama