Summer Fun and Easy Dinosaur Art Project

Who doesn’t like a colorful dinosaur sporting a beautiful succulent? Follow the simple steps below to create your own Dinosaur planter.

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

What kid (or adult) doesn’t like dinosaurs?

My daughter, who is 8, has been on a continuous dinosaur obsession. She pretends to find fossils, reads any books that she can about dinosaurs, draws them, etc. She asked if we could use one of our dinosaur toys and spray paint it gold and make her an award for being the best dinosaur hunter. We did that (See link), which led us to creating this fun project together. My daughter is a constant source of inspiration for fun and creativity. Here is our super cute dinosaur planter. (And don’t forget to make the trophy later).

Materials:

• Plastic dinosaur toys (From Dollar Tree)
• heavy duty scissors
• cardboard
• Rust-oleum paint in a fun and bright color (from Home Depot) or you can use a paintbrush and acryllic paint
• A well ventilated space
• your favorite small succulent plant (I used clippings from plants in my backyard)
• soil

Step 1. Cut out a small square from the back of your dinosaur.

• 

• 

• 

Step 2. Place the dinosaur on a piece of cardboard in a well ventilated area.

We were on the grass outside. Wait 24 hours to dry. Some parts of our dinosaurs weren’t drying. We realized it was because we used too much paint and it was over 95 degrees outside, I think because it was glossy paint, the heat may have been “melting it”. So we used a paper towel to dab the excess paint off.

• 

• 

• 

Step 3. After your dinosaur is painted and fully dry, add soil to it.

Make sure that you fill it up as much as you can.

Step 4. Add your small clippings of succulents to your dinosaur.

Voila! You are finished!

You can reuse the cardboard to paint a bunch of other plastic dinosaurs and animals, or you can throw the cardboard away.

In the end, this is a fun way to add creativity to your homeschooling day. Let me know how your Dinosaur Planter turned out in the comments below.