RAWR!
Okay, now that I have your attention. Let’s talk about creativity flow and how global change has affected the most precious humans… The tiny humans developing, the promising little ones that are the future.
Listen, life in quarantine hasn’t been easy to say the least, especially for anyone with children. Many of my friends and family with children have all Skyped and Zoom called each other and it has allowed me to show more DIYs virtually for them. Although I am not a mum yet, I have plenty of children around me; oftentimes it’s for an event or with neighbours, or even watching my darling nephews. These are times where the creative learning process, elevated — no matter what level one is at — can take a front seat, both visually and physically.
So, I’ve partnered with Oriental Trading to show how learning at home can be a lot of fun. What’s more, your humble abode converts into a great recreational learning workspace. It does require patience but it's not impossible. Come join in on this special post celebrating all things palaeontology.
The Theme: I wanted to create an indoor dig site; the pressure was on. There are plenty of DIYs and artful ways to interject educational bits with this inspiration whilst having good fun, even for adults (that’s you). This wasn’t as over the top as it could have been, trust me, I have quite the imagination. I decided on bright and bold hues and paired them with practical pieces that I had on-hand. *Tip: Ivy, garland, and other greenery work well here.
Crepe Paper: This is such an underrated craft element. Remember these pieces that I made? You can use crepe paper for a multitude of projects. Here, I used it as faux edible greenery for the dinosaurs; mounted on the wall with art tape and wall adhesive with painted dinosaur masks and now, you have three focal points for the party.
Custom Wood Slats: Planks, and unfinished wood slats are simple enough to create signage. I used adhesive letters and paint pens to design my ‘dig site’ and ‘dino-mite’ signs. You cannot go wrong, get creative!
Game Time + Brain Time: These dinosaur learning books are excellent ways to keep children engaged, but they’re also good enough to sharpen the skills of any egghead, chiefly if they aren’t as obsessed with palaeontology as, moi!
Pop-Ups: An Education: There’s a misconception about pop-up books. Let me debunk any of the claims that you must be age four. No, they are not solely for children, albeit preferable due to dramatic facial expressions of amazement with each page turn. Yes, you can learn a thing or two as an adult when you embrace pop-up books for what they are; brilliantly folded pieces of art, books of detailed graphics (with precise cut-out structures) and some of educational value. In this case, all three of those combined and more.
This particular pop-up book is on the history of dinosaurs, befitting for the conceptual theme. It’s beautifully illustrated which can be seen from its marvellous 3-dimensional pop-up display. Your guests will surely be wowed, and likely applaud you for having a well-orchestrated party!
Lifelike Eggs: And … we are excavating! Ah, yes, there’s nothing sweeter than an enviable concept, a marriage of the prehistoric era with modern elements. Thanks to technology, you too can have your very own real, yet faux dinosaur egg. That’s right, these look so real they are perfect for a dino-themed party.
The Dig: Prep: I created an area for excavating. It is going to get messy, so sort everything beforehand. 1) Use silicone or plastic sheets for fast clean-up, and have cotton towels or wipes near for ease because cracking the eggs are a bit like wet clay. I am telling you straight, this was a lot of F U N!
2) Grab an excavating kit fitted with the proper tools, including a chisel, mallet, magnifying glass, sponge, and excavating sheet with the dinosaur eggs. 3) Say it with colour! Express the concept full-on with visuals. I used skeletal printed napkins of dinosaurs and the guidebook that came with the kit. A printout of dinosaur names, what they eat, and information about them is also a good idea. I did both.
Tips for Overachievers: If you want to be a rockstar with your dinosaur party, then check out this brilliant video that I found by National Geographic. I had it auto-play on an iPad, just before excavating. My dinos were mostly plant-eaters and I made a vegan carrot cake for the win! I cut out these free dinosaur printables and inserted a toothpick for each of my individual cake toppers.
This was indeed my favourite part. You can view some exclusive snippets in video replays on my Instagram Stories. Better still, have at it and get inspired to create your own!
What do you think of this educational Dinosaur Party & at-home theme?
You may also view Mindware, a brainy and exciting brand for kids of all ages. Find ‘Dig It Up’ excavating sets, and toys from science to the culinary arts. If you fancy geeking out a bit with me, check out this interesting article.
The goods: Some items in this post were provided via Oriental Trading, a FASHION TALES media blog partner. Shop the collection here. *Affiliate and/or sponsor links are within this post. Samples provided by the company or compensation was received by the PR agency for my honest opinion. 
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