Dinosaur Rock Eggs

Our daughter found a broken rock and said, “This would be a perfect cracked-open dinosaur egg!”.  She convinced her brother to draw her a few dinosaurs to add to her eggs and now is working on some of her own!  

Materials

• Egg shaped rocks
• Gloss acrylic paint (you could also use something like Modge Podge or diluted white glue)
• Paint brush
• Paper
• Pencil crayons
• Black ballpoint or thin permanent black marker
• Scissors

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Go out for a nature walk with an adult and collect egg-shaped rocks.

• Don your smock.

• Cut a manageable piece of paper a bit smaller than the size of your rock.

• Sketch out your dinosaur on paper.

• Colour it in with pencil crayons and outline it with black pen (of the permanent variety) if you like.  You could also use a black pencil crayon.  Avoid markers as the may smudge when you paint with your gloss.

• Trim around your dinosaur, leaving a slight border.

• Paint your rock surface with a thin layer of acrylic gloss where you would like to affix your dinosaur.

• Lay your dinosaur on top of the gloss carefully and paint over it with a thin layer of gloss.  We recommend starting in the centre of your drawing and then painting outwards to assure a smooth surface and to force out any air bubbles that may be in between the rock and the drawing.  You may find it easier to have an adult hold it steady for you.

• Allow to dry overnight.

• Play with your dinosaurs!

• You could do all sorts of variations of this activity- it would be a perfect time to discuss what creatures come or came from eggs! (Such as birds!)

Purpose

• Learning what creatures came or come from eggs.
• Creating props or things to enhance imaginary play.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills: sketching, colouring, cutting, painting etc.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and adult supervision.
• Depending on the size that you choose, rocks can be a choking hazard- therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.