How to Make a Biome in a Box on the Savanna Grassland

Separate box lid, to be used as ground, from the base, to be used as sky. Paint insides of both pieces with colors representative of the climate and land makeup. Color blue on the inside of the "sky" or the base, and paint the inside of the lid brown or tan to represent ground. Let them dry.

Assemble model. Stand box base on a long side. Insert lid into the base, long edge first, with its painted side facing up. Fasten pieces together with glue and let dry.

Paint the outside of the box to match the inside or use the outer surfaces to display relevant information about the biome such as annual temperatures and precipitation, locations of savannas in the world and elevation. Use the short inner walls of the shoebox to indicate the distinct wet and dry seasons in the savanna. Paint raindrops on one side and a fire on the other side, since fires occur during the savanna's dry season.

Represent the porous, sandy soil of the savanna. Pour a layer of sand to fill approximately half of your lid and make sure it's smooth and flat. Spread a layer of topsoil above the sand, thinner than the previous layer, to represent the savanna's thin layer of nutrient-rich humus.

Cut straw into many pieces several inches long and insert pieces directly into soil to represent the grasses of the savanna. Represent the occasional deciduous trees found on the savanna landscape by adding plastic trees or small leafy branches of real trees. Glue either directly to the savanna ground beneath the dirt.

Demonstrate the abiotic features of the savanna as well. Use clay to form several termite mounds, cone-shaped features that dot the landscape of the African savanna biome.

Insert animal figures to represent the savanna's fauna. Use large animals such as elephants, antelopes, giraffes and lions. Include small animals like moles, snakes and mice as well. If you prefer to illustrate a savanna located somewhere other than Africa, portray animals native to that region instead.