Dino Family Fun Day

Do you know a dinosaur fan? Here are five fun dinosaur-themed activities that are perfect for kids of all ages! These are great for parties and playdates as well, and can be made mostly from things around your home. This post is written on behalf of Pollinate Media.

Judah has always loved dinosaurs, and I think it’s safe to say he gets it from his mama. Before he was born, I was picking out dinosaur sheets, buying little T-Rex onesies, and applying adorable prehistoric vinyls to his walls. I’m sure that sounded just a bit obsessive, but I promise I am not. I’m just a child of the 80’s, and The Land Before Time taught me just about everything I thought I needed to know about life. If you grew up when I did, I’m sure you felt the same way at the time.

I remember seeing it for the first time – within the first 15 minutes I had already laughed, cried, covered my eyes in fear, and most definitely wanted to be a member of Little Foot’s crew. I watched it so many times that I eventually learned every word by heart, and my friends and I used to compete with each other over who had the most movie themed swag.

Fast forward 20 years, and Judah is at the same age I was when the first movie originally came out. So, feeling the pangs of nostalgia after seeing The Land Before Time Complete DVD Collection at Walmart, I decided it was time to introduce my children to my first favorite movie. Since I like to go big when I do things, we have been having a whole dinosaur week around here – crafts, activities, and of course a popcorn filled movie marathon!

1. Dino Hunting

My family has always adored nature exploration, so having a dinosaur/fossil hunt is a perfect way to spend an afternoon! Normally the kids go around examining and collecting interesting leaves, critters, rocks, and what not, but this time I scattered a few old shells and dinosaur figurines to their “dig spot” out in the yard and they loved it! For collecting, I gave them each a magnifying glass, some tweezers, a little paintbrush and a collection box. Judah took it very seriously, and hearing his giddy squeals over his finds was priceless.

2. DIY Footprints

Arts and crafts is big for us, so I am forever trying to come up with cute new ways to flex their creative skills. Since we had planned on a Land Before Time movie night, Judah and I made some dino track art on invitations, napkins, and popcorn boxes using his toy dinosaurs and some paint.

3. Dino Dough

This was Judah’s favorite activity of the week, and I definitely think it was the cutest! It has been a while since I made slime, so I rummaged through my cabinets and busted out the cornstarch for some ooey gooey glittery fun. I know you are going to want to make this too, so here is how!

In a small bowl, mix 1 bottle clear glue with 1/2 cup water.
Stir in food coloring of your choice along with glitter.
Slowly stir in around 2 oz cornstarch.
Knead until ready!

This stuff is great for sensory play, and Judah loves using it in a bowl for his dinosaur figurines.

If you want to use this for a party, seal it up in a plastic bag and print out this cute Dino Dough label to staple on it. Adorable, right?

4. Prehistoric Popcorn

We made some super easy popcorn to get ready to watch our movie, and it turned out so well! This technically isn’t a dinosaur themed activity, but I served it in dinosaur-tracked containers, and called it a cute name, so I am counting it. And here it is: Prehistoric Popcorn.

I made it by drizzling melted caramel over Pop Secret Homestyle popcorn, then adding rainbow sprinkles before it cooled so they were set in there. I am all about presentation, so I went a step further and portioned it out into adorable clear gift bags tied with printable labels I whipped up. You can print them out for yourself below by right clicking.

5. The Land Before Time Movie Marathon

Finally, after a week full of adorable dinosaur themed crafts, we started working our way through the complete DVD Collection of The Land Before Time. The kids are too young to continuously watch tv, so one a week is a good rate for us right now. We finished the first one already, and it was super cool seeing something from my childhood come full circle and entertain my own kids in the same way it did me. Yes, it makes me feel old as anything, but it also makes me feel bonded to them in a way that I wasn’t before, and that is always something to cherish! I highly recommend that you head to Walmart to grab The Land Before Time: The Complete Collection DVD today, 6/14 (while supplies last)!