Dinosaur Activities

Outing:
-Visit a museum nearby that has even a few dinosaur exhibits. 

 

Activity/Project:
-Use play dough or clay and push various items into the dough to create fossils. 
-Make a simple Salt Dough (recipe below),  roll out small circles about 1/4-1/2 inch thick, make imprints  of dinosuar bodies, feet and anything else you'd like to make fossils of.  Bake to harden.  Either play with the fossils alone, or go on a dinosaur dig!  You can bury them outdoors in a sandbox, or make a small indoor box by using a sturdy plastic bin, filling it with sand and burying them.  (Be sure to put a shower curtain or other piece of plastic or even newspapers underneath your sand bin!)  Let your child dig for the fossils with small shovels and even use a paintbrush to sweep them off!  You can find lots of great dinosaurs to use for the imprints and to play with at a dollar store, Wal-Mart or even craft stores.  There are also some great options online, such as Sarafi Ltd.'s Dinosaur Toobs, or their Dinosaur Skulls Toob.
-use a large piece of cardboard or cork-board (something that won't get broken too easily).  Decorate it with your kids to depict a "dinosaur" scene…mountains, trees, plants, a volcano, etc.  Then, use toy dinosaurs and play on the mat that you've created.

 

Salt Dough
1 cup salt
2 cups flour
1 cup lukewarm water
Optional food coloring

 

Combine flour and salt.  Add water and stir until dough forms.  Knead for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth. 

Make your creations (great for fossils, ornaments, handprints, etc!).  Bake for 2-3 hours at 200 degrees F.