National Dinosaur Day gives the giant reptile lovers of the world a reason to share their dinosaur knowledge. Everyone knows someone who is just a bit obsessed with dinosaurs or the Jurassic Park movies. Of course, young children always are fascinated by dinosaurs. Some declare at a young age that they want to be a paleontologist.
But National Dinosaur Day celebrated on May 1, gives grownups a reason to host a dinosaur-themed party to binge-watch all five Jurassic Park movies to gear up for the release of Jurassic World Dominion on June 10, 2022. “Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65-million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?” questions Dr. Alan Grant, the paleontologist in Jurassic Park.
So, what do you expect on National Dinosaur Day? A bit of Tyrannasours-sized fun, dinosaur treats, and dinosaur movies for all ages. Perhaps, the best part of National Dinosaur Day is that not only is it celebrated on May 15, but it also is celebrated on June 1, according to National ToDay.
History of National Dinosaur Day
National Dinosaur Day, also known as International Dinosaur Day, is celebrated both in May and June. (Our research does not give a clear reason why it is celebrated both times, but we believe it’s probably a matter of natural history museums reaching out to students and then those on summer vacation. Just a guess, though.) National Dinosaur Day is the perfect time to learn and explore the extinct, reptiles that used to roam the Earth. It’s a day to visit a natural history museum near you to learn about fossils and dinosaurs.
About 65 million years ago, the last dinosaurs, large and small, roamed the earth. They then became extinct. Dinosaurs let you explore biology, history, botany, geology, and more as you learn about when and where each type of dinosaur lived and where their fossils were discovered.
If your family loves dinosaurs and you do not already own a blow-up T-Rex costume, then National Dinosaur Day is your excuse to purchase the costume. The blow-up dinosaur costume is so much fun to wear. You become an instant celebrity at birthday parties, on Halloween, or at a fund-raising booth. It’s fun to greet your children’s school bus wearing the blow-up dinosaur costume.
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The more “regular” activities you do while wearing the blow-up T-Rex costume the more side-splitting laughter you will experience. A quick search of “blow-up T-Rex costume” videos online, reveals countless results from T-Rex flash mobs to T-Rex’s riding bicycles. The costume is so much fun for the person who brings joy to everyone around them.
Whether it is a dinosaur T-shirt, dino hat, or full-on costume, many dinosaur-loving families have dino-loving outfits and costumes. National Dinosaur Day is the day to coordinate the costumes and the outfits. Let the extinct reptiles come to life.
Crafts for National Dinosaur Day Crafts
You can make Salt Dough Fossils by following the directions from Make Life Lovely. Gather up small plastic dinosaurs and small plastic dinosaur skeletons. You mix up the simple salt dough recipe and press the toys in it to make your designs. You can use a straw to make a hole so the fossils are like ornaments.
The DIY Dinosaur Hat by Lalymom can be a project enjoyed by everyone. Gather up plain green baseball-style hats (or your favorite color), some scissors, a hot glue gun, and felt. Your preschoolers will be able to practice cutting skills, and older kids can branch out and make the dinosaur spikes in the design of their choice. The DIY Dinosaur Hat is a way everyone can have a “costume” for National Dinosaur Day.
Dino Hunt
A fun craft/game for all ages can be a dinosaur hunt. Take a dozen toy dinosaurs and place them or
hide them” around your yard. You can race to see who can find the most dinosaurs like an Easter Egg Hunt. Or, you can arm each family member or guest with a phone, Ipad, or camera and challenge everyone to shoot the toy dinosaurs from angles that make them look “real.”
It’s all about perspective. When you crouch down low and shoot the dinosaurs at an upward angle next to a flower not only will the dinosaur look big so will the flower. Give a prize for the best photo or download all the photos and play them as a slide show on your projector or TV so everyone can enjoy all the photos. Be sure to play the soundtrack from the Jurassic Park movies in the background.
Dinosaur Treats for National Dinosaur Day
When preparing a dinosaur-themed menu it can be as simple as cute table labels or place cards that can be made on your Cricut or handwritten and decorated with dinosaur stickers. Just decide what you want to serve and come up with a creative way to tag it: Pterodactyl Wings aka chicken wings, T-Rex steaks aka hamburgers or steaks, Dino Eggs aka deviled eggs, and Herbivore Snacks aka a Veggie Tray. You get the idea.
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Be sure to decorate your table spread with your children’s favorite toy dinosaurs both big and small. They can be tucked in the Jell-O or standing in the middle of the Herbivore Snacks. You could top your deviled eggs with tiny dinosaurs, too. Be creative. Have fun. If you think it is over the top, just go for it. Your family and friends will enjoy the dinosaur silliness.
Of course, you need a delicious dinosaur dessert for National Dinosaur Day, and who doesn’t love Dirt Cake. You can perch your tiny toy dinosaurs on top of “Dirt, Worms, and Dinosaurs” by Glorious Treats, or you can bury tiny toy dino skeletons inside the treat so your paleontologists will have to excavate. You also can bury toy dinos and toy dino skeletons in your favorite J-Ello.
Best Dinosaur Movies for National Dinosaur Day
Of course, the Jurassic Park movies are an excellent choice to celebrate National Dinosaur Day. What better excuse to binge-watch all five movies in preparation for the new movie, Jurassic World Dominion, which is slated to come out June 10, 2022.
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What is your favorite movie in the Jurassic series? Jurassic Park, 1993; The Lost World, 1997; Jurassic Park 3, 2001; Jurassic World, 2015; or Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, 2018. Die-hard fans know there also is a short in the Jurassic family – Battle at Big Rock, 2019.
If your dinosaur-loving family has not watched Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous on Netflix, then National Dinosaur Day may be the perfect day for binge-watching the series. It is about a group of campers ranging in age from 12 to 15 who survive alone when everything goes haywire at Jurassic World on Isla Nublar. The science fiction, adventure series is canon to Jurassic World so if you want the full Jurassic experience, check it out. It is action-packed. The fifth and final season is scheduled to drop on July 21, 2022.
The Land Before Time animated film series is perfect for your young dinosaur lovers. The movies are sweet and teach lessons of adventure and friendship. The animated series started in 1988 with The Land Before Time, directed and produced by Don Bluth and executive produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The movie was followed by 13 direct-to-video musical sequels and a TV series that became fan favorites even though Bluth, Lucas, and Spielberg were not involved in them.
National Dinosaur Day lets the science fiction-loving paleontologist in each of us embrace the magical truths of the extinct animals and enjoy the possibilities of what the reality would be like if they lived today. From plastic toys to stuffed animal dinosaurs, children love to play and learn about dinosaurs. Some of us just never seem to outgrow that love. So, enjoy your day, there’s no such thing as being too old to love dinosaurs, especially on National Dinosaur Day.
Sources: National ToDay, Glorious Treats, Make Life Lovely, and Lalymom.
Photo Credits: Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay.
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