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How to Make a 3D Wolf Habitat

Grey wolves once ranged across lands from the Arctic to Mexico. Misrepresented as dangerous in myths and fairy tales, wolves were deliberately exterminated during predator control programs of the early 1900s. By the 1930s, the species was eliminated across much of the United States. In 1995 and 1996, 31 wolves from Canada were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. As of 2010, more than 1,600 wolves now inhabit the rugged mountains and forests of the North Rockies. A shy species, wolves live primarily in remote wilderness habitat that is far from humans.

Things You'll Need

Sturdy poster board or display board
Spray paints in shades of green, brown or gray
Pencil
Acrylic paints in shades of blue
Plastic foam
Cutting tool
Glue
Silk or plastic plants
Plastic or vinyl toy wolves
Plastic or vinyl toy elk, bison, deer and/or moose
Spray adhesive (optional)
Artificial Snow (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Paint the poster board with green or brown paint to reflect ground cover such as grass or dirt. Allow to dry.
- 2
  Sketch out placement of some elevational features such as mountains or hills, as well as a water source at the base or valley, such as a stream, river or pond.
- 3
  Paint the water source blue.
- 4
  Carve pieces of plastic foam -- using a cutting tool -- to create hills, mountains and large rocks. Paint these features gray or brown. Keep the bases flat.
- 5
  Glue the plastic foam pieces to the poster board.
- 6
  Add silk or plastic plants where appropriate. For example, place aspens -- a preferred food source for elk -- along water's edges. Add conifers, such as pines, to hillsides. Glue in place.
- 7
  Add plastic or vinyl toy animals, both wolves and big game animals. Glue in place, if desired.
- 8
  Reflect a winter scene by coating the project with spray adhesive and adding artificial snow. Ideally, do this before animals are added or remove first.

Animals & Science