Kids craft: How to make a dinosaur playscape
It’s the weekend! Time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine (well, that’s how things are looking here in Sydney after a week of rain and storms).
I thought I’d give you a quick peek into one of the fun things I love making with my dinosaur-obsessed four-year-old son, Harry. Over here at the Treehouse, our house backs onto the bush, and it makes for fun foraging adventures. Take a few dinosaurs with us, and we’re in prehistoric territory.
He also loves to hunt for ‘treasure’ to bring back home with us, and right now, we’re loving moss-covered rocks and twigs.
At home, he paints a ‘backdrop’ for his prehistoric landscape, and I stick it to the wall with washi tape (easy to take down, you see). Then he gets to work arranging his moss-covered stones, pebbles, twigs – and some of my succulents – until he’s created the perfect dinosaur habitat. Roooooaaar!
And all of the gorgeous moss and plants means it doesn’t look bad on our sidetable, either!
I didn’t get any pics this time, but he also loves making a volcano out of play-doh, and he sometimes makes a lake so his dinosaurs can have a nice drink. The lake usually takes the form of a piece of blue felt he’s cut out himself, or sometimes we’ll fill a jam jar lid with water for extra realism.
I always pull a few of his dinosaur books out too, so he can get some more ideas for his creative play. And sometimes they serve as part of a diorama, acting as a backdrop to all the action.
It’s a fun way to spend the morning, and it’s got great educational value as your child learns through play. It ticks off a heap of skills (hello gold-star parenting to make up for guilt-ridden TV/iPad time): gross motor skills (running and scrambling over rocks in the bush); learning about plants and dinosaurs; thinking creatively; story-telling, fine motor skills; etc.
You don’t need the bush on your doorstep, either. Look around your own backyard, or take a walk to the local park. And if your little one isn’t into dinosaurs, you could always create a landscape for jungle animals, or a magical forest for pixies and fairies.
Tell me: what are some of the things you love making with your child/ren?
Need more inspiration? Take a look at all of our kids craft tutorials here.
Photography and styling by Lisa Tilse for We Are Scout.
This post was originally published on We Are Scout.
