Dinosaur Slide

Before you build with real tiles

• Use Basic squares and equilateral triangles with one shared unit edge length. Substitute colors as needed. A one-level front foot carries two blue neck levels. A purple triangular throat supports the compact pink square head, raised forward at about 30 degrees.
• Yellow and green equilateral triangles fill both body sides on one sloping-edge grid. Two sloping belly squares and the rear foot bottom close the underside. Keep a small ground-level notch between the feet; real connected facets fill the body below the back.
• The yellow rear foot is a triangular prism pointing forward, with a vertical rear wall one square high. Four back squares each drop half a square height from the two-level neck edge to the ground. The lower edge of section two joins the rear foot wall top.
• Four groups of green spines use four triangles each, sixteen in total. Close each cap and join its bases around one of the four sloping back squares. Finish the tail with one flat green triangle tapering to a point. Never insert triangles through square panels.
• This is a dinosaur-shaped slide sculpture, never for children or heavy objects to ride. The app checks vertical falling and geometric balance, but cannot measure real magnet strength or sliding behavior. An adult should hold the pitched head, tall neck and back while checking sections. The eyes are thin stickers. Remove the head and spines before lifting underneath the feet and belly.

How to build it, step by step

1. 1. Place the yellow front foot base

   Add in this step: 1 square tiles

   Lay one yellow square flat. The front foot and blue neck will rise directly above it.

   Hands-on tip: Keep the base flat on the table and leave room for the raised head.

2. 2. Close the sturdy yellow front leg

   Add in this step: 5 square tiles

   Enclose the base with four yellow squares and add a blue cap to finish the front leg.

   Hands-on tip: Join adjacent walls first while an adult steadies the unfinished leg.

3. 3. Add blue neck level 1

   Add in this step: 5 square tiles

   Build four blue walls and close a square roof at this level. Two blue levels raise the head above the yellow front foot.

   Hands-on tip: Close the current roof before adding another level. An adult should steady the neck without pulling its top tiles.

4. 4. Add blue neck level 2

   Add in this step: 5 square tiles

   Build four blue walls and close a square roof at this level. Two blue levels raise the head above the yellow front foot.

   Hands-on tip: Close the current roof before adding another level. An adult should steady the neck without pulling its top tiles.

5. 5. Close the yellow rear foot near the belly

   Add in this step: 3 square tiles · 2 equilateral triangle tiles

   Make a forward-pointing wedge with yellow triangle sides, sloping square bottom and top, and one vertical square at the rear.

   Hands-on tip: Place the grounded rear wall and bottom first, then close the sides and top. Keep the rear wall top one square high.

6. 6. Close the underside with two sloping belly squares

   Add in this step: 2 square tiles

   Join one slope upward from the front foot rear edge and another toward the tail from the rear foot ground edge. The rear foot bottom already forms part of the belly.

   Hands-on tip: Both new squares have lower edges on the ground. Join their edges to the feet without covering the existing rear-foot bottom with another tile.

7. 7. Fill one body side with yellow and green triangles

   Add in this step: 5 equilateral triangle tiles

   Start at the vertical neck edge and alternate five yellow-green triangles to fill the body beneath the back. Keep the existing yellow rear-foot side panels.

   Hands-on tip: Join complete edges on one side. Do not overlap the rear-foot side or push a triangle through the belly bottom.

8. 8. Fill one body side with yellow and green triangles

   Add in this step: 5 equilateral triangle tiles

   Start at the vertical neck edge and alternate five yellow-green triangles to fill the body beneath the back. Keep the existing yellow rear-foot side panels.

   Hands-on tip: Join complete edges on one side. Do not overlap the rear-foot side or push a triangle through the belly bottom.

9. 9. Make a purple triangular throat for the raised head

   Add in this step: 2 equilateral triangle tiles · 2 square tiles

   Add two purple triangles above the neck and close their front and rear slopes with squares. The forward slope will become the back face of the pink head.

   Hands-on tip: Join the full triangle bases to opposite neck-roof edges. Close their sloping edges with squares while an adult supports the section.

10. 10. Raise the compact pink square head forward

    Add in this step: 5 square tiles · 2 eye stickers (optional decoration)

    Pitch two pink side squares forward at about thirty degrees and join their rear edges to the throat slope. Close the chin, front and top to make a compact head.

    Hands-on tip: The purple throat slope already forms the head back, so do not add another rear wall. An adult should support the pitched head; use thin eye stickers only.

11. 11. Join four rainbow back sections to the ground

    Add in this step: 4 square tiles

    Start at the back neck edge two squares high and join four squares along the filled body top. Section two meets the yellow rear-foot top edge; section four reaches the ground.

    Hands-on tip: An adult should hold the slope, join each full body-top edge and inspect the seams. This slide-shaped sculpture does not carry children or heavy objects.

    

12. 12. Make a contrasting green serrated back · 1

    Add in this step: 12 equilateral triangle tiles

    Close the triangles for this step into groups of four, then place each cap around its matching rainbow slope square.

    Hands-on tip: Preassemble every four-panel cap beside the model, then join its bases around all four edges of one slope square. An adult supports the slope; no single panel stands alone.

    

13. 13. Make a contrasting green serrated back · 2

    Add in this step: 4 equilateral triangle tiles

    Close the triangles for this step into groups of four, then place each cap around its matching rainbow slope square.

    Hands-on tip: Preassemble every four-panel cap beside the model, then join its bases around all four edges of one slope square. An adult supports the slope; no single panel stands alone.

14. 14. Finish with a small pointed green tail

    Add in this step: 1 equilateral triangle tiles

    Join one flat green triangle to the last lower slope edge. Its wide base meets the back and its point extends outward to taper the tail.

    Hands-on tip: Keep the triangle tip entirely on the ground without another long square extension. Remove the pitched head and spines before lifting under the feet and belly.

A little help for grown-ups

You do not need to plan a lesson. Use these prompts when you reach a tricky step, or when your child wants to try an idea of their own.