Dads will do anything to make their kids happy. No matter how hard a project or task is, they’d willingly do it if it will make their kids happy. One dad serves as a perfect example of that. He took on a project of epic proportions just to make his kids happy.

Matthew Cosman built a not-so-ordinary playground for his kids.

And it wasn’t the usual playground you see with boring huts, swings, and slides. His DIY jungle gym came with an enormous dinosaur.

Matthew wasn’t new to building things.

“I really did this and shared it for fun. I fabricate for a living because it’s my passion—I make fun things for me because no one will pay me to build these crazy things. I do have a history in aerospace engineering, so that played a big role here,” he explained.

The project required a wide variety of materials.

For the dinosaur alone, he needed foam, ceramic fillers, chicken wire, structural steel, paints, and so much more. He also needed 24,000 pounds of concrete just to ensure the dinosaur’s stability.

The innovative dad created a structure similar to the Apatosaurus which is considered as a herbivorous dinosaur. The skeleton was made using structural steel while chicken wire and foam were used to give it shape. The tail was made with Kevlar to ensure that it’s strong enough for the swings. And to make it realistic, Matthew used ceramic fillers and homemade clay for the texture and color.

Moving the dinosaur was the trickiest part.

Matthew made the dinosaur in his shop. To move it to his backyard, he needed to use a crane to lift, transfer, and secure it in his property.

He made the playground extra special.

He added rainbow lights to the slide so that it would glow at night. This made the playground extra attractive. In fact, it looks magical at night!

Despite the attention the playground is receiving, Matthew isn’t taking all the credits.

“My brother and sister, who are both more artistically inclined, helped a bunch. We also had all our kids help as well so that they could feel a part of it,” he said.

Matthew’s idea didn’t come in an instant.

It was actually planned a long time ago. The planning, as well as the scrap hoarding, took years. He kept collecting things and ideas because he knew he’d be building it sometime in the future.

Matthew shared:

“As a teenager, interacting at a local dinosaur park and doing some work there showed me kids love playing on these kinds of things. I knew back then that this was something I wanted to build for my kids. Mostly because I knew I would have loved it.”

Obviously, the kids love their new playground.

It has a climbing web, swings, monkey bars, rock climbing handles, and a slide. It even has rubber chips just in case someone falls off of the dinosaur.

Matthew’s DIY project has raised the standard in the neighborhood’s playground.

It’s even made the competition for Dad of the Year extra hard. Now, dads would have to put in more effort and create something extra unique and fun for their kids if they want to beat Matthew. For now, Mattew owns that title.

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Source: Bored Panda