Dioramas

Dioramas were a favorite class project of mine. Although, I've always wondered if they were a cop-out assignment from teachers because the bulk of the work is on the student. It makes for very easy grading, especially if there is no written report to go along with it. I hated the diorama-report combo! I just wanted to make things all the time and dioramas were an extension of the stuff I did at home to amuse myself anyway.

In 4th grade I had to make a diorama for our history class. At the time we were studying the Civil War. I loved studying this period because I was obsessed with the South after watching Gone With the Wind. For some reason though, I decided to do my diorama on sharecroppers. Sharecroppers being terrorized by the KKK.

I made all of the figures out of clothespins and the sharecroppers' hut out of popsicle sticks. Actually it was all pretty much popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, and clothes pins with a random game piece in the shape of a pig. The sharecroppers were defending their land and the KKK had torches and a sign that said "Get Out!" I have no idea why my mom thought this was a suitable subject for me to depict in a diorama. In fact, she helped me build the house.

I brought it to class with me and it sat untouched for the two periods that I was in that classroom. By the time I had gotten back from lunch someone had the pig standing on the house and one of the KKK hitting the dad sharecropper on the head with the sign.