Science & Life Skills

Learn how to build a realistic adobe dwelling diorama using clay and simple materials.

Papa Tom starts by flattening model magic clay and explains that cliff dwelling Indians had ladders going through their roofs.

Papa Tom cuts out doors and windows, then reuses the clay pieces to make wooden-looking doors and shutters by adding lines.

Papa Tom adds twigs above windows and doors for support, and creates indentations for roof beams.

The walls are assembled with project glue, and Papa Tom shares that ancestral pueblos built homes in Mesa Verde, Colorado while Rome was falling.

Papa Tom makes ladders from sticks and mentions that multiple layers can be added to create taller buildings.

Papa Tom paints the dwelling with diluted tan paint that acts like a stain, and mentions that Cliff Palace has over 150 rooms and 23 kivas.

How To Build An Adobe Dwellings Diorama - School Project | Scene-A-Rama