Amish Barn-Raising Diorama
Amish communities are famous for their quilts and unique style of life. Show how the Amish work together by creating a realistic barn-raising diorama.
1. Find out about Amish traditions, dress, and customs. Why do the Amish reject modern conveniences such as electricity and cars? Discover why barn raising is so important to Amish farmers. To show what you’ve learned, create a shoebox diorama of a barn-raising scene.
2. On construction paper, use Crayola Twistables® and Markers to decorate a background for your diorama. Cut it to fit inside a shoebox with Crayola Scissors. Glue the background into the box with Crayola School Glue.
3. Using craft sticks, build a beginning barn structure. Glue it inside the box.
4. On recycled file folders, draw, color, and cut out male figures, in Amish dress, who are building the barn. Leave a tab at the bottom of your figures. Fold over the tab and glue figures into place.
5. Create a large table with traditional Amish foods. Include women and children, dressed in Amish attire, preparing to serve a meal to the men.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.
Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points
- Build dioramas of other aspects of Amish life, such as caring for horses, riding in a buggy, milking cows, and quilting.
- Identify locations on a map where the Amish live. Why have they chosen these areas?
- Research the history of the Amish. When did they come to North America? How do they influence their communities? What are their schools like? How do they travel?
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