The Mom I Want to Be

 

Create your own prehistoric dinosaur scene in a box. Just print out the dinosaurs, paste, color, cut, arrange them in the box, and – welcome to the Mesozoic Era, the “Age of Dinosaurs.”

Supplies needed: paper and a printer (stiff paper works best – colored paper is great for this project)

 

a shoe box or slightly larger box

crayons and/or markers

paste (a glue stick works well)

scissors

tape, thread, pipe cleaners

optional: glitter (for great lava!), cotton puffs (for clouds), thin cardboard to glue to the back of the animals if your paper is very flimsy (old cereal boxes work well)

Print-out of late-Cretaceous Period, North America: T. rex, Triceratops, Maiasaura, Pteranodon, and plants.

 

Print-out of late-Cretaceous Period, North America: Small T. rex, Troödon, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurs, Parasaurolophus, and plants.

 

Find a box at least as big as a shoe box – a slightly bigger box works even better. This will be the stage containing your dinosaur scene.  Click on a picture to go to the printable template containing dinosaurs and plants from that time period.  Print out the template(s) you want. To print the template (and not any other things that might be on the screen), go to that page, click your mouse on the template (this is so you won’t print the rest of the stuff that’s on the screen), then choose PRINT from the File menu.  Click here for more information on the Cretaceous period, its climate, and what animals and plants lived then. For a lot of dinosaur information go to ZoomDinosaurs.com. In ZoomDinosaurs.com there are information sheets and other classroom activities about all the dinosaurs pictured here (and many others).  If your paper is very flimsy and you think your animals may not stand up well, paste the template onto thin cardboard (like an old cereal box). Let it dry.  Using crayons or markers, decorate the inside of the box, the dinosaurs and plants. No one knows what colors the dinosaurs were, so anything goes. When decorating the box, remember that the Earth was very warm when the dinosaurs lived. Also, the Cretaceous period was a time of very high volcanism – a volcano in the back of the box looks great. Glitter makes a wonderful addition to lava – just sprinkle some on a little glue. Cut out the dinosaurs, their stands, and some plants.  Fold along the dotted lines on the dinosaur stands. Glue one fold of a stand to its dinosaur.  Arrange the animals and plants in the box. Paste the bottom flaps in place. Hang any flying animals from the top of the box using tape and thread or pipe cleaners. Green and brown pipe cleaners also make nice plants.  Enjoy your Mesozoic diorama!