Our little lady is fascinated with numbers and has been “counting” everything. She can count well, but she isn’t super careful about assigning only one number to each item. I wanted to integrate what she is learning into our fun #DinosaurWeek theme.
I made this cute dinosaur number matching game for you and made it extra simple with a FREE printable! Print out the page, laminate if you choose to, then cut and enjoy!
Super simple and easy!
This is the perfect activity for a rainy day when you are stuck inside. Minimal prep and fun dinosaurs – what could be better?
Cut out all the cards around the thick black lines and then cut down the dotted line to make the pair of pieces for matching.
There are several ways to set up this game. You can line the dots up in one column and the numbers in another so your kiddo can pick out the matches.
Or you can set it up in a more traditional matching game style. To up the difficultly even farther…. turn the images face down!
Then your kiddo can make matches. I had our kiddo count the dots and then find the number match piece.
She was SUPER focused!
You can even take it a step farther and have your kiddo count out toy dinosaurs to match the number on the cards! We are totally adding this step in the next time we pull out these cards!
My kids are enthralled with dinosaurs. They know all the scientific names, what each one eats, where it lives, who is the predator and who is the prey… they are truly a bevy of information! Since I never caught the dinosaur bug as a little sprout, I am learning SO MUCH about dinosaurs right alongside my kiddos!
Their love of the subject definitely makes #DinosaurWeek even more fun!
This activity is perfect for a hot summer day – it combines ice, the perfect way to cool down on a hot day, with paleontology, which might be the coolest profession ever!
You know I love an inexpensive experiment with a big WOW factor, and this one definitely fits the bill! Scrounge up some water balloons or other small balloon – I used 4 in balloons because I wanted smaller “eggs” after freezing. You could absolutely use bigger balloons, but make sure you have room to freeze them once filled with water!
You also need some toy dinosaurs. I bought these in bulk about a year ago for a very reasonable price. We have used them for all sorts of activities and they are a regular part of my kiddos’ imaginative play throughout the day.
Once you have balloons and the toy dinosaurs, you need to get the dinosaur inside the balloon. This sounds more difficult than it is, but it can be a bit tricky. Here are a couple of my #ProTips:
Blow up the balloon FIRST, before trying to stuff the dinosaur in. This will stretch out the balloon and give it a softer feel, which will allow the dinosaur to stretch and push on the balloon without breaking it.
Use a pump! If you are doing any quantity of ice eggs, using a pump to blow them up first will be so helpful. These small balloons can be super difficult to blow up with your mouth and we don’t want anyone passing out!!
Once the balloon has been blown up, stretch the end between 2 fingers. Then, tuck the dinosaur between your fingers and start working it into the balloon.
The size of the balloon matters when you are trying to tuck in the dinosaurs, so if you are concerned about being able to stretch the small balloons you can opt for a bigger round size to make it easier.
Eight little dinosaurs all tucked nicely into their balloon cocoon. AWWW!
Now you have to fill the balloon with water.
This is the part in the directions where you investigate every faucet in your house only to realize they are all “cute” but are completely WRONG for filling water balloons 🤦♀️. Oh, is that just me?? 🙋♀️ Are faucets that cannot fill water balloons even practical? 🤣🤣🤣
Outside faucet to the rescue!
Don’t overfill your balloons! You did not do all the work of tucking dinosaurs inside to have an overfilled balloon burst in your hands!
Once they are all filled and tied off, put them in a bowl and stick it in the freezer. Leave them overnight to freeze.
When you are ready for the WOW factor, take the balloons out of the freezer, run tap water on the frozen balloon, cut the balloon, and then peel the balloon away. You should have these remarkable, awesome dinosaurs suspended in ice!
Now for the FUN part…
…break them open!!
My oldest LOVED using a hammer to bust up his eggs – but be sure to put safety glasses on, ice shards are sharp!!
My youngest preferred a squeeze bottle of warm salt water to excavate her dinosaurs from the eggs.
I have to admit the warm salt water was my favorite method, too. You can really squeeze into the nooks and crannies, slowly melting the ice from around the dinosaur, and watch the dinosaur surface just like in a real dinosaur dig!
Then line up your dinosaurs and be amazed that you somehow used an entire rainbow of dinosaurs without even realizing it! 🤣 (Obviously, this part is optional 😉).
Ice Eggs truly is an amazing summer activity that will thrill your kiddos!
Can’t wait to try it?? Post pictures!! I cannot wait to see your kiddos breaking up their own eggs!
Blossoms and Bookworms 