Creating Dinosaur footprints for kids

[Hollie Bird]

If this is too unrelated to the forum please let me know but I'm hoping to create a 'dinosaur' themed area of the garden for my son or any other kids who visit. 

Planning on installed more dinosaur nests with eggs (rounded chalk cobbles) and also some dinosaur footprints. 

It's the creation of the footprints I'm looking some advice on. I'm hoping to create a series of small paving slabs with a Dino footprint on each one. 

Wondering the best way to go about it. 

Perhaps a postcrete or a concrete mix into a mould of some type? It would have to withstand the elements but doesn't need to last forever. 

Any other suggestion for a Dino garden welcome :-) 

Ps I'm in the UK for product advice 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Hollie Bird
Location

[FossilNerd]

Concrete should be a good medium to work with. It will hold up to the weather and can be painted or stained to get a desired color besides the standard gray.
 

I’m not sure of the equivalent store in the UK, but many of the arts and craft stores here in the US have what they call “stepping stone molds”. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are reusable. You could make multiple pavers with each mold. 
 

As for the foot print... The best option I could think of is to pour the concrete into the mold and once it starts to firm up a bit, push something into the concrete to make the foot print. Maybe a dinosaur toy’s foot? Something similar? 
 

If the concrete is too wet it won’t keep the impression of the foot print very well, waiting till it “sets” a little should give you what you want. How long to give it before trying to create the foot print may be some trial and error.

 

Hope this helps.  

[Hollie Bird]

That you @fossilnerd. I didn't even know a stepping stone mould was a thing but I've just seen some for sale here :-)

I think you are right with the trial and error part :-D

I'm also planting some exciting vegetation. Ferns under the shader side of the conifer trees and something ericaceous loving at the slightly sunnier side. Going for big foliage. 

[fossilcrazee]

I made some molded lily pad stepping stones out of concrete for my garden.  Tired to make them green with dye (tried dye for cloth and food coloring) in the concrete but struggled to get any depth of color.

 

And you may think I'm daft, but you could consider using a chicken foot to make the imprints :-)

[Hollie Bird]

7 hours ago, fossilcrazee said:

And you may think I'm daft, but you could consider using a chicken foot to make the imprints :-)

LOL I'd thought of that but my chickens are Belgian d'anver and are very small with tiny feet :-D

[daves64]

You could always try what they did at Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford..  

[Hollie Bird]

14 hours ago, daves64 said:

You could always try what they did at Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford..  

Those look absolutely amazing and pretty easy to replicate.