Dinosaur tracks!

Dinosaur tracks!

 

On average a T-Rex footprint is believed to be around 3.3 feet.

 

We decided to see how many of the children's feet we could fit into a T-Rex footprint.

 

First, I asked the children to estimate how many we would be able to fit. Their answers varied greatly but most of the children kept their number under 10. A few went for over 100 and one lone child guessed 45.

 

I then invited the children to come up one at a time to put their shoes into the T-Rex track.

 

In the end, we found that we could fit 22 shoes inside the footprint!

 

When it came time for the children to put their shoes back on we tried something a little different.

 

 

I gave each child a turn to come up to the footprint, put on a blindfold and try to use their sense of touch to find their shoes or slippers! haha

 

It was lots of fun and the children continued the game later during free choice time. They would blindfold one another and try to guess what toys their friends would hand them! It was great!

 

This also gave way to some great discussions about people who are blind and how they have to use their other senses to explore and make sense of the world around them.

 

We also made a classroom book with various dinosaur tracks!

 

We made crayon rubbings and the children had to match them to a toy dinosaur to identify which dinosaur they came from. They then had to add a sentence about where they thought the dinosaur was walking to. 

The crayon rubbing technique can be repeated over and over using a variety of materials not just footprints. The process of looking for detail strengthens essential visual discrimination skills, the same skills children use to learn the differences between letters.

Click here for my dinosaur egg activities.



Real Dinosaur Sounds!!!

Roar!!!!!

What child doesn't love making roaring dinosaur noises!?

At circle time I explain to the children what an adjective is and that it is a word that describes something.  

I then tell them that I'm going to ask them to roar like a dinosaur but they have to listen for the adjective of how to roar!

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs on the floor. Let me hear your very ______ roar! 

(Loud, happy, sad, angry, sleepy, friendly etc...)

The children LOVED this and after I tried a few they were coming up with their own adjectives to try!

Naturally, loud roars were the favorite! : )

Then I show the children my dinosaur sound can!

It's so easy to make and it really works!!!

 

First you drill a hole through the top of the can. Then you add a piece of yarn and secure at the top with some clear tape. I then added some scrapbook paper and some dinosaur stickers for more appeal. 

Then all you do is wet your finger tips a little bit of water and then pull on the yarn! 

That's it!!! It makes a very realistic dinosaur sound and the children love it! 

Tip: Don't get the yarn too wet or it wont work and don't pull too hard just simply run your hands down the string as you pull.

Dinosaur Math and Science Ideas

Dinosaur number matching folder game.

Science experiment to grow a dinosaur! Let's use our inquiry skills to make some predictions!

Shoe and Shape Dinosaurs!

Dinosaur counting and graphing! 

Dinosaur Patterns!

We made our own volcano as a class and made it erupt using baking powder and vinegar! Some people choose to use baking soda but either will work. Each child also got to make a model volcano to bring home out of a paper plate. 

To follow this up I plan on trying out this idea from preschoolalphabet.blogspot.com where they simply put some baking soda onto a tray and have the children use eyedroppers to release vinegar with food coloring to make mini volcanoes! What a great way to let the children try out the meaning of chemical reactions on their own! 

We painted Volcanoes at the easel.

One of our questions of the day, 

What is a fossil?

I like to see what the children's misconceptions are so that they can be addressed and they can find out the true facts in this case to what a fossil truly is.

We followed up this discussion by making our own fossils! 

 

Click here for my dinosaur track ideas.

Dinosaur Eggs!

One of my favorite things I like to do during this theme is to make paper mache dinosaur eggs! This project usually takes a few days and the children really get excited about it!

Paper Mache How to: The base for paper mache is a flour and water mixture. You then have the children take strips of newspaper, dip it into the mixture and then apply it to an inflated balloon. You do this until the entire balloon is covered.

 I then let them dry overnight so that the next day the students could paint them.
 

After the eggs are all made and painted we put them into our dinosaur nesting ground in the dramatic play area.

 

From there the children are responsible for taking care of their eggs until they hatch! The children must make predictions about what kind of dinosaur might be inside, whether it will be a male or female, and what color it will be. They also must weigh their egg, find the circumference and measure its length using non standard units.

When it is time for our dinosaur unit to come to an end we have a hatching party and compare the results to our predictions.

(I purchased the dinosaurs at the dollar store so that it does not break the bank to buy them for the class)

What a great way to wrap up a thematic unit! : )

Dinosaurs!

Like most of my thematic units I love to introduce the theme with the start of a KWL chart. 

Dinosaur Dig in the sensory table!

I found a dinosaur bone puzzle which the children can actually find the bones and put together to feel like a real paleontologist. 

The children then took turns painting it after putting it all together! 

I made this background for the children (from scrapbook paper, markers, paints and an old calendar which I got on clearance for under $1.00) to use the toy dinosaurs on when having prehistoric adventures!

We did some finger painting and added some dinosaurs that the children traced and cut. 

There are many benefits to finger painting!

*It stimulates the senses and most children love those ooey gooey sensory experiences. 
*It opens descriptive dialogues and can have a stress reducing effect. 

*Finger painting strengthens hand and finger muscles and contributes to fine motor skill development. 

*Finger painting is a medium of self-expression that is open and free.
*It's fun!
 

Ruth Faison Shaw, rediscovered the art of finger painting in the 1930s and developed paints and techniques for its use with children. Shaw said, “Finger painting aids the imagination and gives a delight in creating things subconsciously, things that one may not even have seen or dreamed of before.”

Dinosaur Words!

We made our own dinosaur feet to wear! 
Made from tissue boxes!

 

Dinosaur dirt sensory bag fun! 

I simply put some brown paint into a ziplock bag and taped it down to a piece of white paper. The children first explored the bags and were encouraged to make circles and ovals to represent dinosaur eggs in a nesting ground. The children then asked if they could have some toy dinosaurs to watch over the eggs! I made sure to make two so that the children could have some conversations together while exploring these bags without having to worry about having enough space for them both to be creative. They loved it!

 

Roar!

Drawing Books!

One of my favorite authors of all time is Ed Emberly. His books are amazing and are always filled with shapes, letters and numbers. I happen to own many of his drawing books which I keep in the art area of the classroom. The children LOVE these books! Please check out his website! www.edemberley.com

Right now we are learning about Dinosaurs so we have the drawing book which is actually written by Ed Emberly's son, Michael available for the children. http://www.michaelemberley.com/books/dinosaurs

These books provide an awareness of colors, shapes, forms, and lines which children observe and try to replicate. What a great way for children to develop their perceptual abilities and gain fine motor skills at the same time! : )