Create your own prehistoric dinosaur scene in a box. Just print out the dinosaurs, paste, color, cut, arrange them in the box, and - welcome to the Mesozoic Era, the “Age of Dinosaurs.”
- Paper and a printer (stiff paper works best - colored paper is great)
- Shoe box or slightly larger box
- Crayons and/or markers
- Paste (a glue stick works well)
- Scissors
- Tape, thread, pipe cleaners
- Optional – glitter (for great lava!)
- Optional – Cotton puffs (for clouds)
- Optional – Thin cardboard to glue to the back of the animals if the paper is very flimsy (old cereal boxes work well)
Instructions
- Find a box at least as big as a shoe box - a slightly bigger box works even better. This will be the stage containing your dinosaur scene.
- Click on a picture to go to the printable template containing dinosaurs and plants from that time period.
- Print out the template(s) you want.
Templates:
- If your paper is very flimsy and you think your animals may not stand up well, paste the template onto thin cardboard (like an old cereal box). Let it dry.
- Using crayons or markers, decorate the inside of the box, the dinosaurs and plants. No one knows what colors the dinosaurs were, so anything goes. When decorating the box, remember that the Earth was very warm when the dinosaurs lived. Also, the Cretaceous period was a time of very high volcanism - a volcano in the back of the box looks great. Glitter makes a wonderful addition to lava - just sprinkle some on a little glue.
- Cut out the dinosaurs, their stands, and some plants.
- Fold along the dotted lines on the dinosaur stands. Glue one fold of a stand to its dinosaur.
- Arrange the animals and plants in the box. Paste the bottom flaps in place. Hang any flying animals from the top of the box using tape and thread or pipe cleaners. Green and brown pipe cleaners also make nice plants.
- Enjoy your Mesozoic diorama!
Click here for more information on the Cretaceous period, its climate, and what animals and plants lived then. You can also find dinosaur information on Enchanted Learning. You can find information sheets and other classroom activities about all the dinosaurs pictured here (and many others).
Templates
This template can be used as cutouts when making a Cretaceous period dinosaur diorama. It includes T. rex, Triceratops, Maiasaura, Pteranodon, and plants.
This template can be used as cutouts when making a Cretaceous period dinosaur diorama. It includes small T. rex, Troödon, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurs, Parasaurolophus, and plants.