Hobbies And Interests
Dino Dig
This activity is great for people who have sandboxes in their backyards, but it can also work for a smaller crowd if you have a bucket filled with sand. You could also use dirt or mulch from your garden if you do not have any sand available. If you choose to do this game indoors, place a plastic tarp or empty trash bag beneath the container of sand to prevent spillage. Before playtime, bury small plastic dinosaur figurines or similar objects in the sand. Each child will get a chance to be the paleontologist and dig in the sand to uncover an object. Once the child has found something, he or she should pass the digging tool(s) to the next participant. To make the kids feel even more like paleontologists, you might give them small paintbrushes like those found in watercolor sets to brush the sand or dirt off their find.
Pin the Horn on the Triceratops
Draw or outline a triceratops on a large piece of paper or poster board. If you aren&'t artistic, you may purchase a triceratops poster from a store instead. Draw or outline horns using plain white paper and cut them out. These horns don&'t have to be fancy, but they should ideally be drawn to scale to match the rest of the triceratops. Attach either double-sided tape or regular rolled household tape to the back of each horn before distributing. The children should line up, and each should receive one turn to try and "pin" the horn on the triceratops. To blindfold the participants you may use things like a handkerchief, sleep mask, or a store-bought blindfold. The child who gets the closest to the target should receive a small prize.
Dinosaur Egg Hunt
Fill hollow plastic eggs with small dinosaur treats and hide them around the house. For clues to guide the children, you might cut out dinosaur footprints from sheets of colored paper and place them strategically to point out the direction of the eggs. If you decide not to fill the plastic eggs, the game can become contest to see who can find the most dinosaur eggs.
Who Am I?
Write the names of some well-known dinosaurs on sticky notes and have the children sit down in a circular formation. Place a note onto the forehead of each child so that he or she cannot see the name of the dinosaur but everyone else can. Each child will have a turn to ask a question about his or her dinosaur, and the children will continue to take turns until they&'ve figured out their identity. You can decide whether or not to award a prize to the child who guesses his or her dinosaur the fastest.