Giant Kid-Designed Paper Mache Dinosaur
When I saw this newspaper report of a giant dinosaur, completely kid-designed and built, I couldn’t resist showing you. According to the newspaper report, the project started months ago in a class for 3 to 7-year old kids who were learning about these ancient creatures. They decided to make one of their own, so they invented a whole new breed of giant ancient lizard, got some help from handy parents with a bit of carpentry skills for the wooden armature, and then spent many happy hours bringing their new creature to life.
(If there are any teachers out there who would like some ideas about building a wooden armature for a large paper mache sculpture, check out my baby elephant video. It will save you a lot of time and frustration during the engineering phase of your project.)
The thing that excites me most about this project is the way art was used to make learning about dinosaurs fun. Art and science make excellent partners, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to keep art a daily part of every school program.
I totally relate to this bit:
…everyone who walks by can’t help giving Hope a pet on the head or a pat on the back.
After spending all the time necessary to build paper mache critters, you get really attached to them. It almost feels magical, watching a “real” animal emerge from a pile of lumber, paper and paste. Every kid should get a chance to feel that magic.
The photo shows the Recyclosaurus in his not-quite finished state. They’re still working on him, and intend to add eyes and mouth soon. If you happen to get a photo of this wonderful 15 foot long paper mache sculpture when he’s all done, please let me know so I can share it with everyone.
Congratulations to the kids, parents and teachers at the Creek Nation Child Development Center in Tulsa. Job well done!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
So cool!
Those were always the best school learning situations for me, the ones that combined creativity and the subject matter. From drama to art to creative writing, that creative interaction with the subject always invested me in the lesson in a way that rote learning never could. Good job, teachers and kids!
That is one cool dino! It would be really nice to see the finished sculpture.
I agree with you about keeping art in grade schools. There always seems to be money for sports — art — not so much.