Dinosaur Month in Genius Tangram: Meet Artist Jim Gary and Create Your Own Dino Sculpture
Genius content refreshes every month! This month, dino-“soar” through games, Geniuses, and activities involving these awesome prehistoric creatures.
We’ve compiled limited-time game updates, real-life genius stories, and educator-approved activities into interactive printables, designed to enhance your kids’ learning. Access this week’s printable by clicking the button below:
Game Update
Check out Osmo Tangram for six Dinosaur-inspired puzzles for kids and new character outfits to unveil. Only available this month!
Genius Spotlight: Jim Gary
You know the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? In the case of sculptor Jim Gary, that’s pretty true!
Jim started building things from a young age. Growing up in New Jersey, he wanted a bike to get around, so he got some parts from a local junkyard and built one. For years, Jim continued tinkering around in the junkyard, building things with what he could find.
One day, he realized the scrap pieces looked like animal body parts, especially dinosaur bones. That gave him an idea…
Jim started building huge dinosaur sculptures! Using hundreds of old car parts, he’d weld together 60-foot-long “bodies” and paint them bright colors. The sculptures were so big that Jim had to invent his own equipment to transport them.
Jim’s “20th-Century Dinosaurs” became a traveling exhibit, visiting some of the most prestigious science museums. Jim’s sculptures were part art, part science—and they were awesome to look at.
When it comes to trash, maybe it’s just imagination that helps turn it into someone else’s treasure!
Real-World Activity: Create Your Own Dino Sculpture
Try this educator-approved activity at home. This week’s printable (button above) has instructions with photos!
You can pretend your pasta pieces are really tiny car parts, like the ones Jim used to make his sculptures!
You’ll need:
- Different pastas (uncooked)
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Optional: markers
Instructions:
- Begin by looking up pictures of different dinosaur skeletons online, for inspiration.
- Using one of those pictures (and your imagination!) as a guide, arrange pasta onto the paper in the shape of the dino skeleton.
- When you’re ready, glue the pasta pieces down.
- Feel free to color the pieces with markers if you want to make them as colorful as Jim Gary’s!
