A Familiar Landscape

Will's most recent unit in his science curriculum, Elemental Science- Biology for the Logic Stage, focuses on habitats.  The hands-on element for this topic is the creation of a diorama of one of the habitats in the study.  Rather than doing the ol' shoebox and construction paper project we're all so familiar with, Will expressed a desire to make a more elaborate landscape box, depicting an area of our favorite local state park. He remembered his brother doing a similar project years back, and wanted his chance to do it, too. 

 The area he chose is a view of the St. Croix River gorge.  

 More than 10,000 years ago, great glaciers covered much of the northern United States, including most of Wisconsin. As the glaciers melted, forming glacial Lake Duluth and overflowing its banks, torrents of water tore through the river valley carving out the gorge we see here today. 

 Dalles of the St. Croix River, formed by the meltwaters of the Wisconsin glacial period.

To make the landscape, Will started with a 12x16 disposable roaster pan which we purchased at our local grocery.  Other ideas we considered were building a wooden frame/box or using a low-sided cardboard box.  The roaster seemed like our best bet  because it was easily movable and moisture-proof.

After deciding on the container, Will went out to the yard and took up a portion of sod/top soil and sub soil to fit his container. First he put in the sub soil to support his landscape.  He cut his river gorge down the middle of his land, and lined it with large basalt rocks. Basalt is the dominant rock in our area, and it lines the Dalles of the St. Croix.

To make the river water, Will melted some paraffin wax in a coffee can set into a pan of water.  He wanted his water to be have a blue tint, so he laid a piece of blue cloth down before he poured the wax in between the rock walls.  He also added a few "boulders" to the wax before it cooled to add interest to the water.  

Then he added the top soil and sod to the sub soil, and trimmed down the grasses and weeds.

 

He then collected cuttings from pine trees to line the river.  

As part of his project he also reviewed facts about animals found in our area, and sculpted a few for his landscape from modeling clay. 

Adult Deer

Fawn

Fox

Squirrel

The Animals in their "Kitchen Table Habitat"

 I love the creativity that came with this project, and the fact that Will chose it himself makes it that much more enjoyable.