DIY papier-mâché dinosaur eggs are so much fun to make with your students, and they are also great for imaginary play! Your students will love creating these easy papier-mâché dinosaur eggs as a reward for solving a dinosaur mystery, or while they are digging as paleontologists. Fill your papier-mâché dinosaur eggs with a variety of dinosaur themed goodies as a way to reward your students for a rex-cellent job well done!
To prepare the papier-mâché, make a thin glue and water mixture in a bowl and rip the newspaper into inch-thick strips. I recommend using equal parts glue to water. Stir the mixture together until it is mixed well. Make your papier-mâché dinosaur eggs bright and colorful by using mini neon tissue squares. However, if you plan on painting your papier-mâché dinosaur egg, newspaper works just as well.
Blow up the balloon to the desired size for your papier-mâché dinosaur eggs. Dip the one-inch strips of newspaper or tissue paper into your glue and water mixture. Place the newspaper all around the balloon in various directions. Be sure that your newspaper strips overlap one another. This will help your egg hold its shape. Allow time for your dinosaur egg to dry between each papier-mâché layer. I recommend having 4 to 5 layers of papier-mâché per dinosaur egg. Allow your dinosaur egg to dry overnight.
After allowing your papier-mâché dinosaur egg to completely dry, carefully pop the balloon using scissors. Pull the balloon out of the papier-mâché dinosaur egg. It is now time to paint and decorate your dinosaur egg to your liking. I used purple spray paint from the local hardware store to give my dinosaur egg an even coat. You could, however, have your students be creative and paint their dinosaur egg using the tropical acrylic paint set and Plaid® Paintbrush Super Value Pack.
Use scissors to cut a zig-zag opening into your papier-mâché dinosaur egg. Add a variety of dinosaur-themed products to your dinosaur egg! My students loved the Kids' Dino Dig Sunglasses, the Dinosaur Rubber Duckies, or the Dino Dig Pencils with Erasers. Display your dinosaur papier-mâché eggs in a wood slate crate filled with kraft crinkle paper.
The last step is to determine what you're going to do with your DIY papier-mâché dinosaur eggs! Be sure to check out how I used these papier-mâché dinosaur eggs as my students became dinosaurs and paleontologists to save our school from the missing letters! You can check out all the details by clicking HERE.