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Craft your own handheld habitat at home

  • 6 days ago
  • 2 min read

What is a habitat? It is a place where an animal gets everything it needs for survival, such as food to eat, water to drink, others of its kind to mate with and a place to sleep and be safe.


A hand holding an open tin with aquatic diorama: green turtle, colorful fish, beads, and shells on blue background, resembling a mini ocean scene.
A handheld habitat created for a turtle. (Photo by Jenna Krukowski)

Not only does the habitat match the animal, but the animal matches the habitat! You wouldn’t see a salamander, whose skin must stay moist, in the desert. And you wouldn’t see an armadillo, who has no fur or feathers to stay warm, near the North Pole. Same thing for plants — the perfect habitat will have the perfect mix of light, air, water and soil for it to grow. 


Although each part of the earth is unique, there are some general habitats you will find:  

  • Grassland (prairies and savannas) 

  • Ocean 

  • Fresh water (rivers, lakes, ponds, etc.) 

  • Desert 

  • Forest (temperate and rainforests) 

  • Polar 

  

What types of habitats can you find in the Will County forest preserves? (Hint: Some answers are in the name!)  

  

Now that you know all about habitats, it’s time to get crafty by making your own handheld habitat.  


Craft supplies on a table: scissors, glue, pipe cleaners, tissue paper, beads, an Altoids tin and a seashell and star accents.
Crafting scraps and leftovers are perfect for this project. (Photo by Jenna Krukowski)

  

You will need the following:  

  • A small box. For example, a shoebox, a box from a new phone or an Altoids tin.

  • Glue, either a stick or bottle, your choice.

  • A small animal. (You can use a figurine you already own or make your own!) 

  • Leftover craft supplies

  

Special notes


  1. Since the goal of this project is to create a handheld habitat, think small. The shiny gem that fell off a toy could now be a star. That piece of string that’s only a few inches long? It could be a coiled snake. Or a stick along the shore. Or a vine hanging from a tree.  

  2. This craft is also a great time to use the last bits of items we tend to throw out. Last year’s calendar or the previous month’s magazine might have some pictures that fit in your habitat. That bit of play dough that is almost dried out? Make it into a den. Tissue paper from a wrapped gift? Turn it into water or snow. A flower sticker? Add it to a meadow.  

  

Instructions


Hand holding a tin with yellow beads poured into a jar. Nearby are a glue stick and bottle on a wooden surface, evoking a craft scene.
Be creative as you craft! (Photo by Jenna Krukowski)

  1. Decide whether you want your handheld habitat to open and close or stay open. Will it open like a box or a book?  This will help you decide how to use both the top and bottom of your box.  

  2. Choose an animal (or a few!) and a habitat. Think about how the animal interacts with its home. What does this animal like to eat? Do they live by the river or in trees? Do they live alone or in a group?  

  3. Start creating!  


Bonus: Once you have created a habitat for a real-life animal, make up an animal! Create a home for them. A purple turtle with a unicorn horn that lives in a lagoon of strawberry smoothies? Why not! What kinds of friends w

ould that newly created animal have? 

 

 

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