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How To Make A Papier Mâché Dinosaur

How To Make A Papier Mâché Dinosaur

Kids love working with papier mâché due to its sloshy consistency and the fact it can be used to create fantastic three-dimensional objects. Here's how.

Newspaper

Balloon

Bowl to support balloon

Thick brushes

PVA glue

Bowl for glue

Aluminium foil for the dinosaur's legs and head

Cardboard (we used the back of a hard-backed envelope)

Paint

Masking tape

Print friendly version

Skill

The kids will enjoy getting stuck in to this - you'll just need to be there to guide them and mop up the mess!

Budget

You can make this dinosaur for under £5.

Time

Allow a few hours' drying time - actual hands-on making and painting time is a couple of hours.

Step One: Cover The Balloon

Tear the newspaper into strips and put aside. Blow up the balloon and balance it on a bowl while sticking on the paper. Using a brush, apply glue to the balloon. Cover with paper. Repeat the process, building up layers of paper, until the balloon is thickly covered.

Step Two: Add Legs And Head

We used ordinary aluminium foil rolled into short cylinder shapes for the legs and head. Use masking tape to fix them to the balloon. Apply glue to the legs and head and cover with strips of paper. Make sure that the strips overlap onto the body so that the head and legs will be securely held in place once the glue has dried.

Step Three: Add Spines

Cut out triangles approximately 2cm wide and 4cm high from the cardboard. Fold the bottom of the triangle at a ninety-degree angle and glue the flat part to the balloon. Form two lines to create the dinosaur's spikes. When the glue is dry, apply another layer of paper to hold the spikes in place.

Step Four: Finish Off

Once the glue is dry, the dinosaur is ready to paint. It is best to leave the papier mâché overnight to make sure all the layers are dry. Paint the dinosaur body in mauve and the spikes in bright blue. Allow the paint to dry completely. We added blue spots to the body to finish off.