desert diorama

We are just finishing up Violet's multi-week study on deserts. We used the Sonoran Desert lesson plans from My World Science. (I'd link to them but I can't figure out just now how to insert links into the new Blogger format, I'll work on that later.) We didn't do many of the student work pages, but we did a lot of the reading, watched one the DVD recommendations and did any experiments we could find. She really did learn a lot about the deserts.

To wrap things up she's going to make a desert diorama. I had her get started on it today even though it isn't technically a school day. Hey, I figure public school kids have weekend assignments all the time! I got out the self-hardening clay and she made a couple of cacti, including a saguaro complete with a hole for an elf owl to live in. She also molded a rock formation and a roadrunner nest. In a few days when they dry completely she's going to paint them. For one of the cacti, the barrel cactus to be exact, she used toothpicks stuck all the way through it as prickles.

I don't really know if we'll ever get the shoebox out and a background scene painted or not. But to tell you the truth my plan was only to have her do some clay cacti and leave it at that. The book suggested the diorama and Violet was the one to say that sounded fun.

Next week to wrap things up we're heading to the Chicago Botanic Gardens to see their cacti collection. It is over an hour drive, but my parents are coming with us and it promises to be a fun outing.