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How to Carve Dinosaur Bones

Real dinosaur bones are millions of years old and can also vary dramatically in size and shape depending on the type of dinosaur. For example, the Seismosaurus was the longest dinosaur at 40 meters long, while the Lesothosaurus was the smallest dinosaur measuring approximately the size of a chicken. Carve your own dinosaur bones at home with a bar of soap. You could draw a whole dinosaur and draw on its skeleton or carve an individual bone shape. If doing this project with children use a lolly stick cut at a 45-degree angle on one end or a plastic knife to carve with, instead of the paring knife.

Things You'll Need

  • Soap
  • Paring knife
  • Pencil
  • Orange wood sticks
  • Paper napkin
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Instructions

    • 1

      Unwrap the soap and leave it out for a day. Select a dinosaur bone image you would like to carve.

    • 2

      Skim the knife across the top of the soap to scrape off any brand or image on the top of the soap. This should leave you with a flat surface to carve.

    • 3

      Use a pencil to lightly mark out the outline of your design. If you are new to carving, choose a bone design with a simple outline.

    • 4

      Cut around the outline of your bone design. Carve small pieces of soap away to guard against big mistakes that cannot be fixed, such as the soap bar splitting. Small mistakes can be smoothed out. Continue until you have completed a rough outline of your design.

    • 5

      Scrape the knife across the soap from the front to the back edge of the soap bar. This will create a smooth curve between the two edges. Continue until the whole of the outline of your design is a smooth surface.

    • 6

      Draw details within your design using orange wood sticks. You could draw lines on your dinosaur bone to add texture, or write the name of your favorite dinosaur.

    • 7

      Rub a paper napkin over every surface of your design. This will smooth out the surface or your carving and act as a "polish." You can increase this polished look by rubbing your fingertips over your carving in addition to the napkin.

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