The Wacky Workshops student loved all things dinosaur and wanted to create a picture that featured them.

We found a piece of cardboard – just the side of an old carton and he started painting the blue sky and green grass.

I suggested we make the picture 3D – it gave me the opportunity to explain to him what that meant.

He loved the idea, so we cut cardboard rolls in half lengthways to form the trunks of trees. Later we added green paper cut into leaf shapes.

He wanted one of the dinosaurs to be 3D as well so we discussed the various types, looked at pictures of them and chose the perfect one.

This was the tricky bit – especially for a six-year-old – so I formed the basic shape for him out of newspaper then had him help me wrap it in plaster bandage so it would set hard.

That’s when the idea hit me. We should make it a magical moving picture. Why should Harry Potter have all the fun?

This came on the back of making the cutest little magnetic puppet theatre with the Goddesses, which is probably what inspired the idea.

This was such a fun success I’ve been helping kids make them ever since.

I didn’t think to take a picture of the dino masterpiece and it has gone home with its creator, but check out this cute butterfly magical moving picture.

The Goddess has so much fun making her butterflies fly.

Then this wonderful kangaroo magical moving picture, made by a student who adores the creatures. So much fun.

HOW TO MAKE A MAGICAL MOVING PICTURE

MATERIALS

• Strong cardboard as your picture base
• Paint
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Wooden chopstick
• Magnets – 2 or more, depending on how many elements will be moving
• Plastic bottle caps x 4

METHOD

• Decide on the magic moving picture theme and what element will be the moving one.
• Paint the background picture on the cardboard – a garden for butterflies, space for a rocket and so on.

• Draw the moving elements on some more cardboard and paint them.
• Glue one of the magnets to one end of the chopstick.

• Glue another one to the moving element. NOTE: Check that the second magnet is facing the right way so that it is attracted to the other one BEFORE glueing. Every magnet has two poles – north and south. When you place like poles of two magnets near each other (north to north or south to south), they repel each other. You need to put the north pole of one near the south pole of the other for them to attract.
• When the painting is dry, flip it over and glue a plastic bottle cap to each corner. This ensures there is room for the ‘magic wand’ chopstick to fit between the wall (or table) and the back of the picture.
• Place the moving element anywhere on the picture.
• Place the chopstick wand behind the cardboard base, under where the element is. As you move the wand, the element will magically move.
• Have fun playing with your magical moving picture.

What will you make? Flying rockets or birds? Fish in the ocean or koalas climbing trees? The ideas are endless.

Check out the instructions to make a cute magnetic puppet theatre.

Want more fun ideas? Check out my Pinterest page for inspiration.

Happy crafting and have a gleeful week, Tamuria.