Do you have a kid who loves dinosaurs? It’s not too late to give your child’s Easter basket or egg hunt an extra geeky twist with these experience-based, candy-free, dinosaur-themed goodies!
Images by Penguin Random House
My Tiny Dino Library: Triceratops and T. Rex
My family and I recently had the privilege of sampling the first two books in the My Tiny Dino Library series by J.D. Forester, titled Triceratops and T. Rex. These alluring and sturdy board books are shaped like their title dinosaur and are full of vibrant illustrations by Sarah Rebar that will catch a little one’s eyes. Each page offers fun facts in playful rhyming verses, making them an educational gift for toddlers or for early readers who can sound out their dinosaur-themed vocabulary. As a bit of a dinosaur enthusiast (i.e., geek), my husband has enjoyed reading these aloud as much as my daughter has enjoyed listening to him. These first two installments will be on sale March 12 at a bookstore near you. We can’t wait to see what dinosaurs will follow in this adorable series!
Egg Excavation Project
The Dig a Dozen Dino Egg Kit by Dan&Darci would be a perfect feature in the Easter basket of an aspiring paleontologist! Though a younger child might need more assistance, this activity could be fun for preschoolers up through middle school. Each egg comes with its own double-sided tool with a chisel on one end and a brush on the other. Through the fine motor work of digging and dusting, your child will reveal one of twelve unique dinosaur figurines that correspond to beautifully illustrated learning cards. I love that this kit comes with enough eggs to allow for sharing between siblings or saving a few to pull out later on a rainy day.
Dino Egg Bath Bombs
A similar alternative to excavating toys from an egg could be some dinosaur egg bath bombs. Children and adults alike are often mesmerized when watching the gentle fizzing of a bath bomb disintegrating. This fizzing poses an opportunity for scientific questions and a conversation with your child about chemical reactions! Afterward, your child can enjoy some imaginative play in brightly colored bath water with their new dinosaur figurines. This set is made of organic shea butter and essential oils–natural and gentle ingredients for your child’s skin–and comes with a fun fact card for each of the nine dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Coloring Book
Everyone loves a coloring book! Coloring can promote fine motor strength, concentration, creativity, and mindfulness. Additionally, this coloring book offers information on a variety of dinosaurs, including helpful pronunciation guides. To extend learning and play, you could guide your child through matching dinosaur toys to the pictures as they color, sounding out the dinosaur names, tracing or rewriting the letters of each name, or even imagining and drawing their own species of dinosaur!
Pre-Filled Easter Eggs
Want to save yourself a bit of time? Simplify your Easter egg hunt with pre-filled eggs this year. You could opt for this set of twelve eggs, half of which are filled with dinosaur figurines and the other half with dino stamps–perfect for an artsy child. Or if you’re looking for more eggs, this set comes with twenty-eight, each home to a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur toy. How cool would it be to search for eggs at night with a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt?
Dinosaur Temporary Tattoos
For those looking to fill their own Easter eggs, temporary tattoos could be an exciting alternative to traditional candy. These dinosaur temporary tattoos are vividly colored and detailed, non-toxic, and water resistant. Applying a temporary tattoo invites you and your child to slow down and spend a quiet moment together. It requires stillness and patience, which are difficult in our culture of hustle and bustle, but made easier with the reward of a tattoo. Something else I personally love about temporary tattoos is in the name–they are temporary! That is part of what makes them special and alluring, and that is one less object cluttering the house at the end of the season.
Whether your little dinosaur geek loves reading, arts and crafts, science experiments, or all of the above, I hope this round-up has helped you find what you’re looking for this spring. Happy Easter!
GeekMom received samples of some of these products for review purposes.
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