DINOSAURS

Dinosaur Facts

Lead the children in a discussion about dinosaurs. Depending on the ages and abilities, discuss some or all of the following concepts.

• Dinosaurs are thought to have been reptiles. Begin by introducing and discussing the characteristics of modern-day reptiles such as turtles, snakes and lizards.
• Dinosaurs lived long ago. Try to give the children an idea of how long ago they lived by contrasting the world the children know and the world in which dinosaurs existed. Were there any people, houses or cars? Where did dinosaurs live? What did the world look like? What did dinosaurs like to do? If desired, have the children draw pictures depicting a world with dinosaurs.
• Dinosaurs are extinct. Ask the children to talk about why they think dinosaurs disappeared. (Accept all answers.) Then mention two of the main theories scientists have for their disappearance: the climate became too cold and most plant and animal life died, possibly as a result of the continental drift altering ocean currents and wind patterns; or a meteorite or comet hit the earth and filled the atmosphere with so much dust that light from the sun could not reach the earth, causing plants, then animals to die.
• We learn about dinosaurs by studying fossils. Explain that fossils are "evidence of plant and animal life usually preserved in rocks". Talk about how scientists learn more about dinosaurs by carefully digging up fossils and studying them. Ask the children why scientists can't talk to people who have seen dinosaurs or taken pictures of them.
• There are many different kinds of dinosaurs (large and small, plant-eaters and meat-eaters, dinosaurs who lived on the land and dinosaurs who lived in the water).

More Dinosaur Facts

Help the children learn about individual dinosaurs. Information about five well-known dinosaurs follow.

• Stegosaurus ("roofed reptile"): The Stegosaurus had large bony plates along its back and a spiked tail. It was 20 feet long and weighed 3,000 pounds or more. It was a plant-eater.
• Tyrannosaurus ("tyrant reptile"): The Tyrannosaurus was the largest meat-eater, weighing up to 7 tons. It measured as much as 46 feet from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. It had 60 very sharp teeth.
• Apatosaurus ("deceptive reptile"): This dinosaur used to be called "Brontosaurus". It weighed about 30 tons and stood 15 feet tall at the shoulder. Its long neck allowed it to feed on the vegetation that was up high.
• Triceratops ("three-horned face"): The Triceratops had three horns, one on its nose and one over each eye. It also had a shield of bone called a "frill", around its head. It was a plant-eater.
• Pteranondon ("winged and toothless"): The Pteranodon was one of the largest flying reptiles. Its diet primarily consisted of ocean fish. Its wings were made of leathery skin stretched across a single finger.

Dinosaur Crowns

Cut sponges into the shapes of Tyrannosaurus dinosaur footprints. Fold paper towels in half and place them in shallow containers. Pour a small amount of brown tempera paint on top of each towel. Give the children crowns cut out of construction paper. Let the children cover their crowns with dinosaur footprints by pressing the sponge stamps first into the paint and then onto their papers. When the paint has dried, write "Tyrannosaurus (child's name)" on the front of each crown.

Stuffed Dinosaurs

For each child, cut two dinosaur shapes out of brown paper bags or brown butcher paper. Have the children hold their shapes together while you staple around three sides. Then let them crumple small pieces of newspaper and stuff them into their dinosaur shapes. When the shapes are full, staple the remaining sides closed. Let the children decorate their stuffed dinosaurs with paint. When the dinosaur shapes are dry, attach loops of yarn to them and hang them around the room.

Variation: Punch holes around the edges of the pairs of dinosaur shapes and let the children lace them together with yarn.

Fossil Hunt

Bury several plastic dinosaurs in a large pan of cornmeal and place the pan on a table. Let the children take turns going on a "fossil hunt". Give the children spoons to use to dig in the cornmeal. When a dinosaur "fossil" is discovered, ask the children to identify it bylooking carefully at its characteristics.

Variation: This activity can also be done in a sandbox.

Playdough Fossils

Make gray playdough by adding a small amount of powdered black tempera paint to your regular recipe. Set the playdough and some plastic dinosaurs on a table. Let the children make "fossils" by pressing the dinosaurs into the playdough and then carefully removing them to see the imprints left behind.

Alphabet Puzzles

Cut 26 identical dinosaur shapes from posterboard. Use a felt-tip marker to print upper-case letters at the tops of the shapes and corresponding lower-case letters at the bottoms. Cut each dinosaur shape into two puzzle pieces. Give the children the pieces and let them take turns putting the puzzles together by matching the upper- and lower-case letters.

Dinosaur Fact Book

Have the children take turns dictating a favorite dinosaur fact to you. Write each child's fact on a separate sheet of paper and let him or her illustrate the fact with crayons, felt-tip markers or dinosaur stickers or stamps. Staple the pages together to make a Dinosaur Fact Book.

Tyrannosaurus Toss

Draw a picture of a large Tyrannosaurus head on a piece of sturdy cardboard. Use a sharp knife to cut out the dinosaur's mouth, including lots of teeth. Then prop the cardboard Tyrannosaurus head against a chair or secure it with tape across a doorway. Give the children bean bags and let them take turns "feeding the dinosaur" by tossing the bean bags into its mouth.

Prehistoric Parade

Play different types of instrumental music. Have the children move around the room, pretending to be the dinosaurs that the music reminds them of. For example, a march might remind them of Tyrannosauruses; light airy music, Pteranodons; slow music, Apatosauruses, munching on plants in a swamp. When you stop the music, encourage the children to tell you which dinosaurs they were.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Sung to : "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

Dinosaurs walked on this earth,

On this earth, on this earth.

Dinosaurs walked on this earth,

A long, long time ago.

Tyrannosaurus Rex was the king,

Was the king, was the king.

Tyrannosaurus Rex was the king,

A long, long time ago.

Tyrannosaurus (child's name) was the king,

Was the king, was the king.

Tyrannosaurus (child's name) was the king,

A long, long time ago.

Let the children wear their Dinosaur Crowns while singing the song.

All Around the Swamp

Sung to : "The Wheels on the Bus"

The Pteranodon's wings went

Flap, flap, flap,

Flap, flap, flap,

Flap, flap, flap.

The Pteranodon's wings went

Flap, flap, flap,

All around the swamp.

Additional verses: "The Tyrannosaurus Rex went grr, grr, grr." "The Triceritops' horns went poke, poke, poke." "The Apatosaurus went munch, munch, munch." "The Stegosaurus' tail went spike, spike, spike."

Dinosaurs

Sung to : "Oh, My Darling Clementine"

Great big dinosaurs, great big dinosaurs,

Lived so long ago.

Some liked land and some liked water,

Some flew in the air.

Great big dinosaurs, great big dinosaurs,

Lived so long ago.

Some had horns and some had spikes,

Some had wings like bats.

Great big dinosaurs, great big dinosaurs,

Lived so long ago.

Some ate plants and some ate meat,

But now there are no more.

Dinosaur Delights

Give each child two pieces of hot dog, two broccoli floweretts, and a small amount of salad dressing for dipping. Talk about the meat-eating dinosaurs as the children devour their hot dog pieces and the plant-eaters as they munch their broccoli. Point out that meat-eaters had lots of sharp teeth while plant-eaters had square, flat teeth.

Visitors since July 4, 1998