A desert triorama is a fun and exciting way to produce information on what your child has learned and give them an opportunity to dig deeper into a topic. Also, look at my page Trioramas: How To Create Engaging Visual Narratives For Kids for more ideas.
A triorama is simply a 3 sided display similar to a diorama.
It can be just one piece of square paper folded into a triangle or it can be a larger triangle made of 3 or 4 of these smaller trioramas attached back to back.
I am also giving you some great videos on deserts, book suggestions, and of course more hands-on learning activities.
And we’re making a desert triorama about the Gobi, Sahara, & Antarctica.
This will give us a visual way to compare the deserts.
BOOKS ABOUT DESERTS FOR KIDS
First, look at some fun books about deserts.
18 Desert Books & Resources for Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To
Add some of these living books and references books about the desert to your library.
Children's reader on the subject of deserts and what lives there Large book with very large kid friendly illustrations
It is another hot day in the desert. Birds and other animals scurry about looking for food. When they get tired they stop to rest at a giant cactus. It is their hotel in the desert!Many different animals live in the cactus hotel. It protects them; and they protect it, by eating the pests that could harm the cactus.The cactus grows larger and larger and will live for about two hundred years. When one animal moves out, another moves in. There is never a vacancy in the cactus hotel.This story--about a desert, a giant cactus, and the animals who live in it--is one that even the youngest child will understand and enjoy.
A venerable saguaro cactus stands like a statue in the hot desert landscape, its armlike branches reaching fifty feet into the air. From a distance it appears to be completely still and solitary--but appearances can be deceptive. In fact, this giant tree of the desert is alive with activity. Its spiny trunk and branches are home to a surprising number of animals, and its flowers and fruit feed many desert dwellers. Gila woodpeckers and miniature elf owls make their homes inside the saguaro's trunk. Long-nosed bats and fluttering white doves drink the nectar from its showy white flowers. People also play a role in the saguaro's story: each year the Tohono O'odham Indians gather its sweet fruit in a centuries-old harvest ritual.
Imagine over three million square miles of sand dunes that are as tall as a ten-story building. That place is real -- it's the Sahara Desert! Vast, yes! And home to fascinating creatures such as ostriches and fennec foxes as well as amazing plant life. The shallow roots of the mesquite tree can grow almost 200 feet across to absorb water. Readers will also learn about the famous trade routes of the past with caravans of up to 10,000 camels, European explorers to the region (some very unlucky ones), and native populations like the Berber and Tuareg, the faces of the men are blue from the dye in the veils they always wear.
Antarctica, the earth's southernmost continent, was virtually untouched by humans until the nineteenth century. Many famous explorers journeyed (and often died) there in the hope of discovering a land that
always seemed out of reach. This book introduces readers to this
desert--yes, desert!--continent that holds about 90 percent of the
world's ice; showcases some of the 200 species that call Antarctica
home, including the emperor penguin; and discusses environmental dangers to the continent, underscoring how what happens to Antarctica affects the entire world.
In the early morning hours, an artist stirs. Gathering her paints and notebook, she heads into the Arizona Sonoran Desert to explore its treasures. Sketching, painting, and writing, she records all that she sees and as night falls, she spreads out her pictures to make this scrapbook of her day, from dawn to dusk.
Surveys the living conditions in Arizona's Sonora Desert for the people and unusual animals that live there. Also describes the engineering accomplishment of Hoover Dam.
In Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey recounts his many escapades, adventures, and epiphanies as an Arches National Park ranger outside Moab, Utah. Brimming with arresting insights, impassioned arguments for wilderness conservation, and a raconteur’s wit, it is one of Abbey’s most critically acclaimed works. Through stories and philosophical musings, Abbey reflects on the condition of our remaining wilderness, the future of a civilization, and his own internal struggle with morality. As the world continues its rapid development, Abbey’s cry to maintain the natural beauty of the West remains just as relevant today as when this book first appeared in 1968.
While the rest of the animals hide from view from a group of rambunctious coyotes, the fearless gang takes full advantage of the open space of Cactus Canyon and participates with great zeal in an array of nighttime activities, but an unexpected encounter with a rattlesnake quickly puts an end to the coyotes fun as they are sent running for cover, too!
Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.
n this latest installation of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library, the Cat takes Sally and Dick to explore different kinds of deserts around the world, from the hot, dry Sonoran and Mojavi to the bitter cold Gobi and Antarctica. Young readers learn why deserts are dry, and how plants and animals—including cactus, kangaroos, camels, penguins, roadrunners, and many others—have adapted to survive the unforgiving climate. Also included: how sand dunes are formed; the reason we see mirages, and how shallow water beneath the surface of the ground can create an oasis. Fans of the new PBS preschool science show The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (which is based on the Learning Library series) won't want to miss this hot new addition to the series!
‘A wounded mountain lion moves from his mountain habitat to a Papago Indian hut in Arizona’s Sonoran desert during a record-breaking July day. All creation adapts to the blistering heat until a cloudburst causes a flash flood. With a measured yet vivid style, this introduction to desert ecology makes a memorable impact."
This intriguing yet simple description will captivate young readers who have an interest in the unfamiliar.
Take a walk through the desert. This hot, dry biome of the southwest is full of life. How do plants and animals of the desert live? As you wander through the desert, discover how each and every plant and animal relies on the others to live and grow.
Learn about the fascinating creatures of the desert Southwest including: Venomous Animals Insects and Arthropods Rattlesnakes, Lizards, Desert Tortoise The Roadrunner and other Birds Bighorn Sheep, Kit Fox, Coyote.
Now in its fourth edition, this is a beautiful book with both historical and contemporary images showing the most important plants used by Native Americans. Medicinal, food resources, tools and shelter are just some of the uses discussed. Plants shown and described are among the most widespread plants in the desert Southwest.
Learn all about desert snakes with the beautiful book by James W. Cornett.
An excellent introduction to the natural history of the Namib Desert of southwest Africa. At its heart, second only to the Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru as the driest place on Earth. Also, it is the oldest desert on our planet and the only desert with a megafauna including elephant, giraffe, and rhinoceros. The lofty orange dunes, highest in the world, are also shown and discussed.
TRIORAMA IDEAS
- How to Make an Easy Rainforest Triorama With Kids
- How to Make a Water, Land, and Sky Animal Habitat Triorama
- How to Make an Amazing Shakespeare Triorama Book Report
- How to Make a Cool Greek Mythology Triorama With Kids
- How to Make a Giant Triorama Project About Cherokee Culture
- How to Make A Desert Triorama About the Gobi, Sahara, & Antarctica
But first let’s break down a few facts to compare and contrast each of these unique and amazing deserts.
COMPARING THE GOBI, SAHARA, AND ANTARCTIC DESERTS
Gobi Desert-Tan
- Located in Asia
- Coldest desert in the world
- Average temperature: 25°F
- Annual rainfall: 3-7 inches
- Largest desert in Asia
- Known for its sand dunes, mountains, and oases.
- Home to a variety of animals, including camels, wolves, and gazelles
Sahara Desert-Yellow
- Located in Africa
- Largest hot desert in the world
- Average temperature: 86°F
- Annual rainfall: less than 1 inch
- Home to sand dunes, mountains, and salt flats.
- Home to a variety of animals, including camels, snakes, and lizards
Antarctica Desert-White
- Home to a variety of animals, including penguins, seals, and whales.
- Located in Antarctica
- Coldest, driest, and highest desert in the world
- Average temperature: -57°F
- Annual rainfall: less than 2 inches
- Largest desert in the world
- Home to ice sheets, glaciers, and mountains.
Then add more hands-on ideas to pair with the desert triorama.
HANDS-ON DESERT IDEAS TO PAIR WITH THE DESERT TRIORAMA
now the text that fits the keyword in the header above –
- 7 Desert Crafts For Kids: How To Make A Clay Cactus Jewelry Holder
- 8 Desert Craft Ideas | How To Make Egg Carton Cactus
- Use colored sand to recreate the gorgeous colors of desert landscapes with Desert Sand Art: Hands-on Learning (Colors of the Desert).
Finally, look at how to make this desert triorama.
HOW MAKE A DESERT TRIORAMA
You will need:
- White sand
- 3 sheets white cardstock
- Colored chalk
- School glue
- Watercolor paint
- Plastic animals for each desert area
- You could also use these desert plants for dioramas to create your scene
You could also use these desert plants for dioramas to create your scene.
Start with a sheet of 8×8 cardstock and fold it in half from corner to corner, pressing down the crease.
A craft stick works great for pressing in the crease.
Unfold and then fold it in the opposite direction, pressing down on the crease.
Cut from one corner all the way up the crease to the very center.
Bend the two pieces on either side of the cut inward, laying one over the other and secure with glue, hold in place with something heavy or pinch with a clothespin until dry.
Repeat 3 times to create 3 different triorama pieces.
DESERT TRIORAMA ABOUT THE GOBI, SAHARA, & ANTARCTICA
Now we are going to paint our skies in each one.
Looking at images of these desserts we found a wide variety of skies from sunrise to sunset. So you can paint each as you see fit.
Allow watercolor to dry and then fold one cut corner over the other and glue into place.
To keep it really simple we are going to use colored chalk, mica powder, or you can even grind up a cheap eyeshadow from the dollar store to turn white craft sand into a variety of hues to fit each dessert.
Place a few teaspoons of white sand into 2 different bowls, add a little powdered chalk or other colorant in a tan( Gobi) and then a lighter yellow color (sahara). We will keep some white uncolored for antarctica.
‘Paint’ a thick layer of school glue onto the base of each of the 3 trioramas and add the colored sand to each, pressing into the glue so that it sticks.
Create dunes, ripples, and mountains by adding more layers of glue and sand to build it up.
Since the Gobi is surrounded by mountain ranges we created sandy mountains in the background of that desert scene.
Gather a small animal to represent each desert or you can use magazine cutouts or print images to glue in place.
Dab a bit of sparse vegetation onto your deserts using watercolor paint right onto the dried sand.
Set your animals and anything else you would like to add into place in each dessert.
Create a label for each and add in front of the displays.
