chicken dioramas

We worked on chicken dioramas over several class periods. I showed the class a traditional Day of the Dead skeleton tableau for inspiration. First we shaped the sculpy chickens in bright colors. After the chicks were baked the kids practiced their detailed painting skills (we looked at painted Oaxacan wood animal figures for ideas). Olive's dad precut the wood diorama walls and the kids painted them solid colors the following week. The walls were glued together outside of class using wood glue. Popsicle stick fences, glitter, painted windows and doors, fake grass, miniature baskets, sculpy eggs, wood dowel roosts, and the chickens themselves were added on the final day of the project. We used hot glue for all the fixins.