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Using Safari or Schleich miniature figurines can give your rainforest diorama added realism. Both Safari and Schleich offer a great variety of wildlife toy figures. Here are some tips on how to take any rainforest diorama to the next level.
To build a realistic rainforest diorama, you will need a basic understanding of the structure of a rainforest. A rainforest has four strata, or layers, starting at ground level and going upwards toward the sky.
The first is called the "ground layer". It has very few plants. Small trees and half grown trees make up the next layer, called the "under story". Finally, the uppermost layer of leafy dense, leafy branches, called the "canopy". Stretching above the canopy are a few very tall trees that make up the "over story". Some over story trees (known as emergents) can be as much as 150 feet tall!
The canopy is the layer where you will find the most life, from insects to animals, and fungus. This layer is from 75 to 130 feet off the ground. The under story also supports the growth of a vast network of branches and leaves that average 20 to 100 feet in height. Many animals also live in the under story. Ground level growth is thin, with a lot of open space, since there's not much light (99% of sunlight is blocked). Animals such as deer, peccaries, and jaguar inhabit the ground layer. Each of these animals along with many others can be added as Safari or Schleich toy figures.
You will probably find that to show all four rainforest layers in scale with miniature figurines such as Schleich toy figures would mean building a diorama over five feet tall. Your best option is to compensate by focusing on just one stratum of the rainforest at a time.
Let's focus on the canopy. Start with a sturdy base, such as a piece of hardboard about 18 x 20 inches. For treetops, use real branches 10-15 inches tall. Choose sturdy ones with a lot of interesting looking twigs branching off. Stick the bottom ends into large lumps of clay that can air dry (not clay that must be baked, such as Sculpey).
There are several ways to create realistic looking leaf effects. Glue large chunks of green sponge between the branches to look like areas of leaves. You can also use shredded paper or Spanish moss spray painted bright green. Add detail with a few hand-cut leaves sticking out on the nearer branches of your diorama. The branches toward the back can be less detailed.
Don't forget that interesting epiphytes such as bromeliads and orchids live on the branches of canopy trees. Create three dimensional models of these from paper or clay or cut pictures out of magazines and glue them on. Long, vines can be created using green or brown yarn or string. Use tiny pieces of crumpled colored tissue paper for flowers. Add a layer of green leaf effects across the "floor" of your diorama (this is the top of the under story level). Now you are ready to add miniature figurines for the animals.
Typical animals found in the canopy of the rainforest include sloths, monkeys, toucans, tree-dwelling anteaters, snakes, lizards and sometimes cats. Many of these species are available as Schleich toy figures, which contain a high degree of realism, or from other manufacturers such as Safari.
These miniature figurines are often weighty for their size, so they will need to be wired on with extra bracing behind them. Try platforms constructed from Popsicle sticks. Hide the edges with leaf material. Dabs of hot glue will keep them from wobbling. A few animals can sit on the "upper branches" of the under story - that is, on the floor of your diorama.
Your diorama is most interesting if it tells a story. Show animals in action, if you can. Position a snake so that it is about to strike a bird. Show an anteater nosing about among the bromeliads.
Now create a signboard. It should give the title, the date, and your name. If it is a school project, you may want to create smaller labels identifying the animals and plants in your scene. Be sure to take lots of pictures!
