Pteranodon Mobile

I designed this pteranodon mobile for my dino-kid a few months ago and after he got over the fact that I didn't make a bigger variety of pterosaurs ("It's a flock of pteranodons," I said, "They stick together." I didn't really know, but it seemed like a good answer out.) he wanted to know where the fish they were diving for were. So we made some of them too and stuck them on the ends. This is really more of a grown-up craft but my tyrant had a good time telling me what's what and how to do MY design. I'm sure yours will too and then in the end you'll have a great decoration for his room. Or her room. Not all tyrannical dino-kids are boys.


What You Need:

A few sheets of colored card stock
the template
a couple yards of string
a paper plate (it's what I had but you could stick two dowels in a cross formation for the top.)
a hole punch
glue or tape for reinforcement

The template:




What You Do:

Using the template, cut out pieces for 6 Big Pteranodons (A) and 3 Little Ones. (Or however many you want.) And 3 Fish. Piece the pteranodons together by sticking the cut slit of the wings into the cut slit of the body. The pieces will be perpendicular. Voila. I strengthened and made them more together by gluing a piece of cardstock on each side of the body, above and under each wing but you could do tape.

Decide your order of pteranodons. 2 big ones, 1 little one and a fish on the end of each. Through all the pteranodons, punch out two holes, one on the top of the body, one at the bottom. Cut strings, tie one to the top of the pteranodon, one to the bottom, tie the next guy onto that string. Put a string on his bottom. Tie on the last guy. Tie another string to him, tie on his fish. Do this with your other pteranodons, making three strings of pterosaurs and fish. Make your strings varying lengths so they're not all bumping into each other, but keep them relatively similar so you don't upset the balance. I'm sure you could figure out the math to make it perfect, but I sure didn't.

On your paper plate, punch two holes near the center of the plate and tie a piece of string through, looping it. That's your hanger. Now, put three sets of 2 holes equidistant around, so that the two holes are about .25-.5" apart. Your three strings of pteranodons are going to get tied through these holes. Do it, tie them, I dare you.

Done.

Show it to your dino-kid and listen patiently while he tells you what you did wrong and then teach him about the phrase "Artistic License."

Now if you're doing the dowels, you'll have to make a fourth string of pteranodons, so happy cutting!