I have an easy wetlands paper plate habitat diorama. You’ll also love my post Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook
Creating a paper plate habitat diorama is a great way to incorporate a project that is super inexpensive and less work.
One thing I love about a diorama is that it can be done by everyone from preschool through high school and showcases each child’s imagination.
Not every project has to be a huge display.
Creating something small like creating a paper plate habitat diorama allows for a quicker project.
Some topics you don’t need a super deep dive into, and it is also very inexpensive.
We always have a pack of paper plates on hand for craft projects, quick lunches, or to use as a disposable paint palette.
Next, look at these books for kids about the wetlands.
WETLAND BOOKS FOR KIDS
6 Books About the Wetlands
Add some of these books and resources to your home library.
A simple, poetic exploration of a wetland environment describes what a wetland habitat is, the various animals that make it their home, and why wetlands are important.
From Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay, from inside the bone-crushing jaws of an alligator to the storms that race across the blackwater backcountry, award-winning conservation photographer Mac Stone takes us on a visual journey through the Everglades. More than 200 striking photographs showcase the natural beauty of this unique wetland, capturing the amazing depths of its landscapes, the diversity of its wildlife, and the resilience of the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States.
Aerial views highlight the vast expanse of the River of Grass. Underwater images capture the endless wonders of the Everglades, including sharks darting through mangrove roots. Intimate close-ups showcase awe-inspiring flora and fauna such as the ghost orchid, the Florida panther, the endangered Everglades snail kite, roseate spoonbills, and, of course, the majestic American alligator.
The author of The Year of the Turtle provides a year-long journey through the swamps and wetlands, introducing the varied animal and plant inhabitants of the marshes and describing why such habitats are so important to his own life and to Earth's environmental future.
Takes readers on a walk in a swamp, showing examples of how the animals and plants of wetlands are connected and dependent on each other and the wetland's watery environment.
Full-color illustrations and lively descriptions help in identifying wetland types (swamp, marsh, or pond), plants, and animals.
Discusses the importance of wetlands, and describes freshwater marshes, wet meadows, intertidal coastal lowlands, the role of decomposition, peatlands, wetlands and the water table, and the policy of "no net loss"
Since we were gathering items from outside and drawing our own animals, we were able to complete this project for free.
5 Facts About Wetlands
The wetlands are defined as areas where water covers the soil or is near the surface of the soil all year.
This includes swamps, marshes, estuaries, mangroves, mudflats, ponds, deltas, coral reefs, billabongs, lagoons, shallow seas, bogs, lakes, and floodplains.
Look at these 5 facts about wetlands.
- About 30% of the Earth’s wetlands are in North America and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
- One of the largest wetlands in the world is the Pantanal which covers over 93,000 miles over Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay in South America.
- The Florida Everglades are sitting on a bed of limestone, which helps produce clean water for the state.
- Many of the plants that are found in the wetland either grow under the water or float on top of it. But some grow out of the ground like trees. The 3 main types of plants found here are emergent, floating, and submerged.
- Wetlands can be made of saltwater or freshwater and sometimes they are a combination of both.
I referenced Wildlife Anatomy for ecosystems like wetlands.
It is also a great reference for animals that live within the wetlands like alligators, along with Nature Anatomy which also includes many plants and animals.
More Paper Plate Habitat Diorama Inspiration
Here are some more wonderful and creative ideas for using paper plates to create mini ecosystems.
- Preschoolers will love making and playing with the Paper Plate Magnetic Duck Pond
- How fun is this Paper Plate Aquarium Fish diorama?
- Create a Mini Beach Scene, add in crabs and other animals you would see along the shoreline.
- Here is an even smaller idea, How to Make a Paper Plate Mini-Diorama
- This Fancy Mushroom Diorama could be made using paper platters or plates.
Now you can take this paper plate habitat diorama and use it for anything- desert, ocean, woodland, arctic, etc.. but for this one, I want to focus on giving you information and activities for the wetlands.
Decide for yourselves which wetland you want to create for your project, this will determine the type of flora and fauna you add to it.
Next, add some of these activities for studying about wetlands.
Activities for Learning About the Wetlands
- Coral Reef Unit Study and Lapbook
- Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook
- Fun Hands-on Coral Reef Activities and Play Dough Invitation to Play
- The Geronimo Stilton Series: Make a Fun Edible Coral Reef
- Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam
Wetlands Paper Plate Habitat Diorama
Typically, in dioramas, we often use small plastic animals.
But because our paper plate habitat diorama is so much smaller we decided to draw our little animals to keep it lightweight and to keep the scale small.
If you would still like to include the plastic animals for your diorama or to use in sensory bins, etc.
This Safari Ltd River set has a lot of animals found in wetlands.
You will need:
- A paper plate
- Small pebbles
- Small sticks
- moss
- Plastic animals- optional
- Cardstock
- Paints
- Markers
First, fold the paper plate in half, creasing it sharply.
Open the paper plate and paint half of it green and half blue.
Squeeze a generous amount of blue, green, and tan onto your plate where you would like your water, and brush it out, leaving it thick so it has some dimension.
Water in wetlands is generally kind of murky and muddled so wanted it to look natural.
While your plate is drying, have your child research and draw several wetlands animals for the habitat onto white cardstock.
Once the plate is dry, paint or use a marker to add trees in the background on the top half of the plate, against the sky.
Then, add moss, sticks, and small pebbles to the base. You can glue them down or leave them loose for additional play.
You can also create trees by hot gluing moss to small sticks, then secure them to the base with a little puddle of glue.
Add plastic animals or the paper ones your child drew to the scene.
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