Find a Picture: The first step is to have your child find a picture of the dinosaur that she likes. It will be her model to help build the skeleton for the paper mâché.

Tyrannosaurus Rex PDF

Make the Skeleton: Once she has a picture, she can use newspaper, card board, boxes, empty paper towel rolls and/or etc. to build it to the size and shape she wants. You might need to help her look at the basic shapes for the body, head and legs. If she needs help, show her how to bunch up the newspaper to give it some shape like making a paper snowball.

1. Start with the body; ask her if she sees how the shape of the body is kind of an oval. Let her make the shape by crinkling paper to form a ball, then adding to it. Once she has the basic shape, and if she needs help, show her how to secure it with masking tape.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Now it's time to add the legs with feet, the arms, neck and head. The legs are usually the hardest to make if you want the model to stand. Using newspaper or empty paper towel rolls cut to size then cover them with newspaper is one way to make them. Let her determine how she wants to make the legs and help attach them if she needs it.
   
   
   

   head

   arms

   
   
   
   
   leg and foot
3. When she has the body assembled, she can add details like teeth, fins, forehead wrinkles or whatever she would like. For some of the details she might use toothpicks or card board cut into whatever shape she wants. Be sure to let her know to make it big enough to have an area to tape down.
   
   

all parts put together
with masking tape



4. Once the pieces are taped together, have her check to see if the model is balanced so it is able to stand in place. Sometimes it won't be able to stand at this point, but as your daughter applies the paper mâché and it gets sturdier, be aware of how it stands and help her, if she needs it, make adjustments to make it stand. Sometimes placing a small rock within the paper mâché gives it some weight and stability.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Paper Mâché: Have your daughter cover the area she'll be working in with newspaper to make clean up easier.  Have her cut some newspaper into strips. She'll want them to be about 5" x 2". They don't have to be exact, just not too big because it makes it harder for small hands to work with the strips when they are covered in the paper mâché.

1. To make up the paper mâché use a container that is easy to reach into. Use flour and water or liquid starch or fabric softener, all three do a great job.
   • If you use liquid starch or fabric softener, just pour it in a bowl and you're ready to start.
   • If you use the flour and water mixture, you'll want it to be thick like apple sauce. It will be lumpy but that's okay. If you make it too runny, it will be harder for your child to work with and if it is really thick, it just takes longer to dry. If you mix too much, you can cover it and put it in the fridge to use another day.
     
     

paper mâché
the body
2. She'll use the strips of newspaper covered in the paper mâché to cover the structure. A trick to covering it is to dip the paper in the paper mâché mixture then pull the strip through two fingers to take off the excess paper mâché (video). Several layers of the paper mâché are recommended to make it strong enough to hold the shape and stand up. Allow each layer to dry before adding another layer. Let the structure rest on a plastic bowl to dry so it doesn't stick to the newspaper. If any area gets limp while it's wet, place a plastic container under it to help it hold the shape that your daughter wants.
   
   

last layer
white tissue paper
3. For the last layer, apply white tissue paper with the paper mâché. It gives a great base for painting because the newspaper print doesn't show through.  If you don't have tissue paper you can just use an extra layer of paint to cover the news print. If you wish, you can use different color tissue paper to cover the whole structure instead of painting it. The effect is great. When you are using the tissue paper, don't dip it in the paper mâché because it is too thin and falls apart. Just place it where you want it and dab the paper mâché on it with your fingers so it adheres to the structure.
   
   
   
   
   
   T-Rex covered with paper mache
   and one layer of white tissue paper

Paint and/or Decorate: When it dries, have your daughter paint the structure any way she would like it. Since scientists don't know really what color the dinosaurs were, your daughter can paint them with whatever color she would like. The best time to add details like other colors, spots or lines, is after the paint dries. Otherwise the paint will smear and it's harder to get the effect that she wants. Some small details, like eyes, are easier to do with a permanent marker.

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