Recycled Stegosaurus Dinosaur Craft

There’s just something about dinosaurs that gets kids excited! My students often ooh and ahh at the massive size of the prehistoric creatures. They are intrigued and highly engaged in discovering different types of dinosaurs and their unique characteristics. Today we’re going to focus on one of my favorite dinosaurs: the stegosaurus. We’ll repurpose many items you probably already have at home or in the classroom to make a one-of-a-kind recycled stegosaurus collage. Now let’s rummage through that junk drawer to gather some loose parts and hit the recycling bin for cardboard and newspaper to create some DINO-mite art!

FIND EVEN MORE DINOSAUR THEME ACTIVITIES IN OUR PRINTABLE LESSON PLANS FOR HOME PRESCHOOL AND PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS.

Stegosaurus Facts for Kids

• Stegosaurus means “roofed lizard.”
• The dinosaur’s back contained bony plates.
• The long tail contained spikes.
• The Stegosaurus was an herbivore, meaning it ate plants.
• Its brain was the size of a ping pong ball.

No Art Supplies? No Problem!

Young artists can quickly run through an abundance of art supplies, and before you know it the paper pile is empty, crayons are down to the nubs, and the markers are dried out. That’s no reason to stop making art! Let’s reimagine what art supplies can be. Take your child on a supply scavenger hunt to see what you have around the house or in the recycling bin that can be reused and/or repurposed.

Loose Parts

Using loose parts in an art activity is a great way to focus on fine motor skills as well as cognitive skills. Little fingers can pick up pom poms, buttons, and beads to add details, patterns, and designs to their prehistoric project. I love to lay out an array of small items and give little artists the choice to pick and choose the items they are drawn to as they take control of the art making process.

Art Materials

• Construction Paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Tacky Glue or White Glue
• Yarn

Suggested Items to Reuse and Repurpose

• Cardboard
• Cereal Boxes
• Bubblewrap
• Newspaper
• Qtips

Suggested Loose Parts

• Buttons
• Beads
• Pom Poms
• Bottlecaps

Step by Step Directions to Make Your Own Stegosaurus Dinosaur Craft

Search & Find

On your mark, get set, go! Search the house for art supplies, loose parts, and items to repurpose. Hit the kitchen for cereal boxes and bottle caps, the bathroom for Qtips, and the recycling bin for cardboard. Be sure to check that junk drawer for random buttons, pom poms, and beads. This is a great opportunity to use up art supplies leftover from previous projects.

Sort & Cut

Take a look at a few stegosaurus illustrations to discover what the dinosaur looked like. Identify the body, head, tail, legs, and plates. Use cardboard or a cereal box (easier to cut) to create the dinosaur.
I recommend drawing and cutting out the following:

• Body: large half circle
• Head: triangle or circle
• Tail: long triangle
• Legs: four rectangles
• Plates: triangles

Build & Glue

Set up the stegosaurus and glue each body part into place on a piece of blue construction paper. Cut a piece of newspaper or bubble wrap to represent the landscape.

Loose Parts

Add texture to the dinosaur’s skin by adding loose parts such as buttons, beads, and Qtips.
Move the items around and have fun! Glue the items into place.

Literacy Connection

I recommend reading We Love Dinosaurs before making the dinosaur collage. The book by Lucy Volpin introduces young readers to dinosaurs of different shapes and sizes. Which one is your favorite?

I would love to see your unique dinosaurs. Please tag @fantasticfunandlearning and @youngschoolartwithmr.g so we can see your one-of-a-kind creations!

CONNECT WITH VIN GIANNETTO

Learn more about Vin here on his author bio page. Follow along with him on Facebook at Young School Art with Mr. Giannetto and on Instagram @youngschoolartwithmr.g for art project ideas.

MORE DINOSAUR FUN WITH PRINTABLE DINOSAUR THEME LESSON PLANS

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

The full Dinosaur Theme Lesson Plan Pack also includes:

1) Dinosaur Cards for sorting by color, making patterns and more
2) Counting Dinosaur Eggs Activity (1-10) in color and B/W
3) Count the Dinosaurs Emergent Reade (3 variations)
4) Dinosaur Roll and Graph Game in color and B/W
5) Dinosaur Skeleton Activity Mats
6) Dinosaur Word Cards
7) Beginning Sound Dinosaur Sort (D, I, N, O)
8) Dinosaur Number Cards (0-35) in color and B/W
9) Alphabet Train Dinosaur Matching Upper and Lowercase Letters
10) Rhyming Dinosaur Eggs

GET YOUR LESSON PLANS

Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.