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Dinosaur Arts & Crafts Ideas

 

Textured Dinosaur Skin

Take small bubble wrap and paint it different colors and place
 a dinosaur cut  out on top and get a great textured skin. 

  

Dinosaur Eggs

Let children cut out dinosaur egg shapes and
 decorate them to put on bulletin board display.

  

Dino Skin

Put out different types of art media and let the children create
 dinosaur skin, i.e., bugles, cheerios, sandpaper pieces, etc.

 

Dinosaur Spikes

Use egg cartons for the spikes on the back of the dinosaur cutout,
 or make a  sock puppet using the egg carton on the back of the sock.

  

Stegosaurus

Green construction paper cut into a stegosaurus shape,
Yellow construction paper cut into triangles, "plates"
Children glue on the plates to the dinosaur's back

     

Dinosaur Headbands

Purple construction paper head band... Lime green construction paper
 cut into a dinosaur shape, write child's name, attach to front of headband.

    

Dinosaur Crowns

Cut sponges into the shape of T-rex footprints.  Fold paper towels in half
 and place them in shallow containers.  Pour a small amount of brown
 tempera paint on each towel.  Give the children crowns cut from
 construction paper. Let the children cover their crowns with dinosaur
 footprints by pressing the sponge stamps first onto the paint and then
 onto their papers.  When the paint has dried, write
"Tyrannosaurus  (child's name)" on the front of each crown.

 

Dinosaur Mask

White paper plate painted the child's favorite dinosaur color, two circles cut
 out for eyes, large craft stick, glued to bottom of plate.  Have materials
 available to decorate dinosaurs: construction paper cut into horns, spots,
 teeth, markers, stickers, whatever you can think of that resembles a dinosaur!

 

Paper-Mache Dinosaur Egg



Paper Mache' Dino Egg as it is drying.
(Photo submitted by Shell)

Paper-Mache can be bought at craft stores (just follow directions on bag)
 or you can make your own paper-mache by tearing old newspapers or
white tissue paper into one inch wide (25 mm) strips.  Then dip them in
 a mixture of equal parts of flour and water or dilute glue with water.  Blow
 up a balloon and tie the end in a knot.  Wrap the strips around the balloon.
  Smooth it by dipping fingers in mixture.  Continue until the balloon is covered.
  Tie a piece of yarn or string to the knotted end of the balloon and hang it up
 until dry.  When it is dry, pop the balloon with a needle or it can be cut as
 though it has been cracked open. Let the children paint it.   A dinosaur
 can be placed inside.  This could become a guessing game.  You can
 put a dinosaur inside and the children can guess which dinosaur is inside.

 

Dinosaur Rubbing

Using a dino pattern, make a template out of plastic coffee can lid and cut
 out the shape.  Put the dinosaur under a piece of paper.  Peel the paper
 off of old crayons.  Lay the crayons flat and rub over the pattern.

 

Dinosaur Finger Painting

Cut dinosaur shapes out of finger paint, and put a spoonful of green
 and a spoonful of brown one each shape.  Let children finger paint
 with mixture and then hang the dinosaurs from the ceiling.

  

Fake Fossils

Materials Needed:
Modeling clay such as plasticine
Freshly mixed Plaster of Paris
Paper moulds for craft -fossils
Fine Sand - Paper

Procedure:
1. Use some modeling clay to make a design like an ancient
 animal or plant. Then make a paper mould out of it.

2. Use a paper mould to create the fossil by filling it with the plaster.

3. When dry, peel off the paper mould and sand it with some
 fine sand-paper to make the outside of the fossil smooth.

 

Dinosaur Egg 

To make the eggs you can use your favorite clay. Roll the balls into
 an egg shape, let dry. Paint them with your favorite natural colors. 

You can also use plastic Easter eggs & let the children
 paint the eggs using small sponges dipped in paint. 

After the eggs are dry you can place a small plastic dinosaur into the egg
and the children can have fun watching the dinosaur hatch from the egg. 

 

Nest Craft 

The eggs need a nest. Scrunch small pieces of brown & yellow tissue paper 
into balls. Stick them all over the outside of a small container like a 
margarine tub. Put some real leaves into the nest.

 

Hats off to Dinosaurs

Create dinosaur hats for the children to use in dramatic
 play situations or in music and movement activities.

Tyrannosaurus Rex: 
Make a crown to honor this "king" of the dinosaurs.  Cut out tagboard
 or construction paper crowns to fit your students' heads.  Give the
children sponges or potato halves cut into the shape of a Tyrannosaurus
 footprint.  Let them dip the sponges or potatoes into a shallow tray with
 a thin layer of paint in it, or have them press them onto an ink pad.
  Have the children "stomp" gently all over the crowns.
 When they are dry, an adult can staple them to fit.

Stegosaurus:
  Make a hat in the shape of this "roof lizard."  Trace onto a 12" x 18"
 sheet of construction paper a pattern of a stegosaurus.  Put a second
 sheet of paper behind the first, and cut two identical shapes.
  Older or more experienced children can do this step themselves
 if you clip the sheets of paper together.  Help the children staple
 together the outer edge, leaving the bottom open for their heads.
  Have the children decorate their hats with crayons or markers.
  Or provide shades of green and brown paint and pieces of sponge
 attached to spring-type clothespins, and have the children
 stipple the paint on the Stegosaurus shape to create scales.

 

Another Stegosaurus Hat Idea

Materials Needed:
4 paper plates per child, 
a stapler, 
yarn or string
and bingo dotters.

Procedure:
Fold 3 of the 4 plates in half and staple. These will be the plates
 of the stegosaurus. String the yarn through the last plate make
 a hat which will tie under the chin. Staple the 3 folded plates
 together (vertically), one on top of the other. Attach the line
 of stegosaurus "plates" to the top hat plate.
 Decorate with bingo dotters or anything colorful.

 

Dinosaur Footprints

In advance, gather a variety of plastic toy dinosaurs with feet large enough
 to make a distinctive print.  Set the dinosaurs on the art table along with
 shallow pans of paint.  Invite each child to dip a dinosaur's feet in paint
 and then use the dinosaur to make tracks on a sheet of paper
.  Encourage your youngsters to fill their sheets of paper with
 a variety of prints in different colors.
  Ahh, the pitter-patter of prehistoric feet!

 

Paper Bag Dinosaurs

Trace simple outlines of a dinosaur on brown paper bags,
 one per child, and have children cut them out.  Children
 can decorate their dinosaurs as they wish.  Staple
 around the edges leaving an opening.  Have children
 stuff newspaper into the dinosaur and staple the opening.

 

Dreamed-Up Dinosaurs

Many dinosaurs are, as yet, undiscovered.  Paleontologists make
 new discoveries every year.  Nearly 100 new kinds of dinosaurs have
 been found in the last 20 years.  Some haven't even been named yet.
  Children will enjoy dreaming up their own dinosaur creatures.  Cut a
 variety of fanciful dinosaur parts - bodies, heads, tails, legs, wings,
 horns - from construction paper.  Provide glue and paper for the
 background.  Encourage the children to create their own imaginary
 dinosaurs.  Their discoveries can have several heads, tails, legs,
 etc.  Give the children the scientific honor of naming their discoveries.
  If they wish they can dictate something about their dinosaurs, such
 as what they ate, how they protected themselves, or where they lived.

 

Dino Pasta Collage

Put out scraps of color paper and glue and dinosaur shaped
 pasta and have the children make a dinosaur scene or collage.

 

Volcano Eruption

Cut the shape of a volcano from white construction paper.  Mix glue
 still in the bottle with red food coloring.  Children squeeze this
 "hot lava"  onto the paper volcano.  Try standing the volcano
 upright on an easel so the lava runs down the paper.

 

Dinosaur Place Mats

Cut large dinosaur shapes from colored paper.  Each child chooses
 a dinosaur and colors it with crayons or markers.  Write each child's
 name on his or her dinosaur and laminate it or cover with clear contact
 paper.  During Dinosaur week, let children use these
 placemats while eating their lunches and snacks.

 

Dinosaur Fossils

Press plastic dinosaurs into clay to make fossil prints
 of their heads, bodies, and feet.

 

Dinosaur Printing

Collect different dinosaur cookie cutters and pass them out to the children
 who dip them into pans of paint and make dinosaur prints on white paper.

 

Water Color Dinosaur

Cut out an outline of a Brachiosaurus from construction paper
 (one for each child).  Children paint their dinosaurs with water
 that has been colored with food coloring.  After the paint dries,
 they can glue their Brachiosaurus figures onto pieces of blue construction
 paper.  Children add water and foliage to their pictures using markers.

 

Paper Plate Dinosaurs

Tell children to make one cut into the outside border of a paper plate
 and then cut out the round center. The center will be the body of the
 apatosaurus. Have the children cut two two small pieces from the border.
 Help them staple the pieces to the body to make legs. Tell children to cut
 the remaining part of the border in 2 equal halves. Help them staple one half
to the body, curving upward to make a tail. Help them staple the remaining
 half of the border to the other side of the body
 curving downward to make the neck and head.

 

Footstep Dino

Have each child step on one sheet of paper and outline their foot.
 Glue outline to another piece of paper. Let children use markers to
 draw a tail onto the end of the body Give each child 10 triangles
 and show them how to glue the triangles on the dinosaurs
 back and tail. Use markers to draw other features.

 

Dinosaur Rubbings

Using poster board or heavy paper, cut out dinosaur shapes. Tape
 them to the table. Have the children put a piece of copy paper
 over the dinosaurs ( a lighter paper may rip) The children will discover
 the hiding dinosaurs by rubbing the side of a crayon over their paper firmly.

 

Swamp Pictures

Squirt brown paint in the middle of finger paint paper. Let the children
 add dirt, grass, and worms to the paint. Let them use their fingers
 to mix the goop up until their paper looks like the kind of
 swamp a dinosaur would like to wallow in.

 

Dinosaur Mural

Attach a large piece of newsprint to the wall at children's eye level.
 Each day, draw or glue a different dinosaurs name and how tall
 it was. Children color the dinosaur and colors it with crayons
 and markers attach to a large piece of white paper and laminate.

 

Stuffed Dinosaurs

For each child, cut two dinosaur shapes out of brown paper bags
 or  butcher paper. Have the children hold their shapes together while
 you staple  around the sides. Then let them crumple small pieces
 of newspaper and stuff  them into their dinosaur shapes.
Variation:
Punch holes around the edges of the pairs of dinosaur
 shapes and let children lace them together with yarn.

 

Kid A Saurus Tracks

After discussing fossils and dinosaur tracks, let the children make
"kid a saurus tracks" by stepping into tempera paint and walking on paper.

 

Dinosaur Eggs

Make dinosaur eggs from ceramic dough.

Ceramic dough 
Mix 2 cups salt and 2/3 cups of water in a pan. Stir until
 mixture is well heated. Remove from heat. Mix cornstarch
 and 1/2 cup of cold water together.  Stir quickly into first mixture.
 Mixture should be stiff.
 (If it does not thicken, reheat and stir for one more minute.)

 

Plant-Eater Pennant

Discuss some of the characteristics of plant-eating dinosaurs:
 flat teeth, "bellystones," meat-eating predator enemies.
  Show the children plastic models or pictures of plant
 eaters such as Apatosaurus.  Go on a walk to collect
 bits of plant materials - small leaves, ferns, and weeds -
 or provide the items yourself.  Give each child a 24 inch
 length of waxed paper folded in half widthwise.  Provide
 a variety of plant-eating dinosaur shapes cut from construction
 paper, peeled crayons in shades of green, pencil sharpeners,
 and stand-up cheese graters or serrated plastic knives.
  Have the children each arrange their dinosaur and bits of
 plant material on one half of the waxed paper, with the fold
 at the bottom.  Direct them to grate crayon shavings all over
 the same half of the paper.  Fold the other half of the waxed paper
 over the shavings.  Have an adult place a dish towel over the waxed
 paper and gently press it with a warm iron.  The crayons will melt,
fusing the layers of paper together.  The children can then staple a strip
 of construction paper at the top and add a piece of yarn for hanging.

 

Dino Skeleton 

Provide the children with an outline of a dino. Then have them 
glue on macaroni to resemble the dinosaurs skeleton.

 

Pipe Cleaner Dinosaur Fossils

Materials Needed:
bulk of pipe cleaners, 
scissors, 
pictures or models of dinosaur fossils (optional)

Procedure:
This is a great activity as a follow-up to studying families of dinosaurs.
 Encourage your child to select a specific type of dinosaur he/she would
 like to build. Ask them what things they will need to include in their
model. For example, Triceratops had three horns on its head, so this
 is a feature your child would need to include. Once they plan the type
 of dinosaur and features to include, offer a selection of pipe cleaners.
 Keep scissors handy to trim unwanted lengths from the pipe cleaner.
 For extra support and stability of the model, your child may need to
 intertwine two pipe cleaners for the backbone and tail.  Start with
 the spine, and allow your child to add features; legs,
 tails, arms, etc, but winding the pipe cleaners together.

 

 

 

Pre-K Fun Theme Pages are for educational reference only! 
No copyright infringement is intended.
I do not claim any of these as my own ideas.  
They are shared from friends and fellow group members.  
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!

   

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