For my dinosaur-obsessed son’s last birthday, I put together a fun dinosaur party for him and his friends. Last week I shared with you the dinosaur bone invitations (made from salt dough), and today I’ll be sharing a fun DIY dinosaur dig excavation kit that I made and gave to each child at the party as a party favor.
Any budding paleontologist would love to dig for dinos with these fun kits. These kits were put together a day or two before the party, and the kids absolutely LOVED them!
Here’s how I made them…
Dinosaur Dig Excavation Kits:
Supplies:
- Plaster
- Play Sand
- Dinosaur Toys
- Plastic containers with lids (mine came from Dollar Tree)
- Magnifying Glasses
- Paintbrushes
- Plastic Spoons and Knives (if kids are old enough to use the knives)
- Burlap
- Jute
Directions:
Step 1. You first need to decide how hard you would like the finished dinosaur dig surface to be. For older kids and harder “dirt”, mix 8 cups sand with 1 cup plaster, then add 1 cup of water. Mix well. To make a softer “dirt” for younger kids, mix 8 cups water with 1/2 cup plaster, then add 1/2 cup water. Mix well.
Since I was making quite a few of these, I mixed up my mixture in a very large plastic bucket with a paint stir stick.
Feel free to experiment with a consistency that works for the age of children you are making this dinosaur dig for. It definitely took some experimenting and trying out different consistencies to figure out what worked for the ages of my kids and the kids at the party.
Step 2. Fill a plastic container a little less than halfway with the sand mixture. Press down on the mixture to flatten it. Add two dinosaur toys to the mixture, then cover the dinosaurs up with more sand mixture and press down firmly to pack it in.
Step 3. Let dry in the sun without the lid. Add lid when the mixture has dried and hardened. Repeat this process for every kit that you are making.
Step 4. To decorate the container, wrap a piece of burlap (or burlap ribbon) around the container, and secure with hot glue or a safety pin. Tie a magnifying glass to the top by wrapping thick jute around the magnifying glass and the container, and tying in a knot on the top.
Wrap a thin piece of jute around a green plastic knife, spoon, and two different sizes of paintbrushes. Tie a knot around them, then place the tools underneath the big knotted piece of jute.
You can also create your own custom tags for your dino dig kits if you are making these for party favors. Just attach to the thin jute by punching a hole in the tag and stringing it through!
Aren’t they FUN?!! These cute dinosaur dig kits are guaranteed to keep your kids busy, and they’ll love being rewarded at the end of their search with two toy dinosaurs that they get to keep!
I originally shared this project on Live. Craft. Love.
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Here are two more creative dinosaur party ideas that you’ll love!
Happy crafting!!
Lisa Smith says
Hi! Is the recipe for the “softer dirt” correct above? 8 cups water, 1/2 cup plaster, 1/2 cup water?
Stacy Robertson says
Can you say what age you used the “hard dirt” for?
Laura says
I believe the kids I made those for were about 9 or 10 at the time.
Lauree K says
I teach a class of 1st and 2nd graders. I want to do this for our study on Egypt. How long would you say it would take them to dig out the item. Since your son is three, I assume I’d want to make the harder plaster for my students. Thanks!
Laura says
Yes, you would definitely want to make the plaster harder, so just use more plaster and less water. I would make a small batch and experiment with the amounts so you can get the hardness that you need, then make bigger batches for your students once you’ve got the consistency just right. I made these two different ways for the kids at the party- a batch that was softer for the younger kids and a batch that was harder for the older kids. They all LOVED it! Good luck!
smileygirl7 says
HI, Great idea! Have you used usual DIT plaster or plaster of Paris? Thanks
Laura says
Great question! I believe it was plaster of paris that I used, but honestly, I think either one would work. Let me know how it goes!
DeAnna Dawn Tibbs says
Hi how many kits did 8 cups sand with 1 cup plaster make? Thanks, we are going to do this for our summer camp.
Laura says
Awesome, the kids are going to love it! I’m not sure. I wish I could remember, as I made these a couple years ago. It also will depend of the size of container you use- the smaller you make them, the more you will get. Have fun!