Dynamic Dinos
Participants become paleontologists for the day by participating in activities all about dinosaurs.
Participants will learn about dinosaurs through hands-on activities and role-playing games. They will be introduced to dinosaurs and related vocabulary, such as extinct, fossil, camouflage, herbivore and carnivore. Participants will make a footprint fossil using clay and plaster. They will work as a team to assemble Pammy the Protoceratops’s skeleton and will construct dinosaur heads out of clay using characteristics of carnivores and herbivores. Participants will excavate chocolate chips out of cookies, just like paleontologists digging up fossils! To wrap-up, they will participate in dinosaur story-time, various role playing games and stretching activities.
What You Need
Physical Requirements
- Open space to build Pammy the Protoceratops (enough for students to gather in a circle).
Introduction
- Dinosaur pictures, laminated and in different colours
- Environment scenes, laminated (7)
- Sample fossil
- Carnivore dinosaur model (i.e. Tyrannosaurus Rex)
- Herbivore dinosaur model (i.e. Iguanodon)
- Storybook (volunteer's choice, may be used in the wrap-up)
Activity 1: Making Fossils
- Plastic tablecloth
- Tray to put fossils on
- Plastic 2oz cups (1 per child)
- Plastic wrap
- Plasticine (1 small ball per child)
- Plaster of Paris
- Container to mix plaster of paris
- Spoon to stir
- 1 water bottle
- Assorted dinosaur models for making prints (approx. 6)
- Masking tape
- Permanent marker
- Sample completed fossil
Activity 2: Pammy the Protoceratops
- Puzzle made out of corrugated plastic pieces
Activity 3: Dino Heads
- Plasticine (1 ball per child) or other non-hardening clay
- Straws, cut into quarters (2 pieces per child)
Activity 4: Digging for Bones
- Toothpicks (2 per child)
- Chocolate chip cookies, nut free- chunky work best (1-2 per child)
- Paper towel
Activity 5: Discovery
- Variety of dinosaur puzzles or toys
- Fossils
Activity 6: Colouring
- Assorted dinosaur shape colouring pages
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Dinosaur pictures, laminated and in different colours (from introduction)
- Environment scenes, laminate (from introduction)
Guide:
Safety Notes
- Important- check with the teacher to ensure that there are no allergies related to the cookies before the workshop (Activity 4: Digging for Bones). Buy nut-free cookies.
- Remind participants to be careful with the toothpicks as they are sharp on both ends.
What To Do
Note: Volunteers can choose 3-4 activities to do with the group based on available time.
Activity Prep
- Ask the educator about any classroom allergies. Buy chocolate chip cookies (nut free) for Activity 4: Digging for Bones.
- Print colouring pages and shapes of dinosaur pages, enough for each participant and extras.
- Make a sample fossil using the instructions for Activity 1: Making Fossils.
- It is a good idea for volunteers to do a run through on how to complete the Pammy the Protoceratops puzzle. It will make it easier to guide the group through the process.
- For Activity 1: Making Fossils
- Cover the table with a plastic tablecloth.
- Prepare plastic cups with masking tape on the bottom beforehand.
- Have plasticine in balls ready for the students to mold.
Introduction
Note: Decide how much information to mention/how long you want the introduction to be based on the age-level of the participants. You may want to split the information with the hands-on activities as well. The activities could be done in sequence as a class or if there are enough volunteers, set up stations for participants to rotate through.
- Discuss dinosaurs. Ask questions such as:
- What are some examples of dinosaurs? (common answers are Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, etc… )
- Are dinosaurs alive today? (introduce the topic of extinction)
- How do we know that dinosaurs existed? (discuss fossil evidence)
- What did they look like? (camouflage- their environment can give us hints)
- What did dinosaurs eat? (carnivore vs herbivore)
-
Camouflage Exercise
- Hold up one of the environment background pictures with a dinosaur that is a completely different colour. Ask “would this dinosaur live here?”.
- Discuss the concept of camouflage.
- Have participants match the rest of the dinosaur pictures to the environments
-
Carnivore vs Herbivore Exercise
- Show the model of a carnivore and an herbivore- explain that one is a meat-eater (carnivore) and one is a plant-eater (herbivore).
- Ask participants to point out differences between the animals. Highlight differences in the teeth and eyes.
- Read a story about dinosaurs (optional- can be saved for the wrap-up at the end).
Activity 1: Making Fossils
- Give each each participant a ball of plasticine and tell them to roll it in their hands. To make the fossil, they will:
- Press the plasticine down on the table/desk with the palm of their hands so it is flat like a pancake.
- Place the plasticine in the bottom of their cup.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the cup and stick the plastic wrap down to the plasticine in the cup.
- Choose a dinosaur model. Place the dinosaur foot inside the cup and press down hard enough to leave a footprint in the plasticine (leave plastic wrap on).
- Mix the plaster of paris (1 scoop of powder for every scoop of water).
- Pour a small amount of the plaster of Paris into each participant’s cup.
- Leave instructions with the educator to let their cups sit for the rest of the day. Once it is dried, they can pull on the plastic wrap to separate the fossils from the plasticine. Demonstrate how to do this with your completed sample fossil.
Activity 2: Pammy the Protoceratops
- Explain to the group that they will be palaeontologists today!
- Spread the bone pieces out for the participants to look at.
- Have them guess what parts they have and compare to human body parts as they figure out how to put it together.
- Guide the group through building the skeleton.
Activity 3: Dino Heads
- Discuss the differences between carnivores and herbivores and how we can tell them apart (besides what they eat!)
- Herbivores: Have dull teeth for grinding plants, eyes on side of head to keep watch for predators
- Carnivores: Have sharp teeth for tearing meat, eyes towards the front of the head to narrow in on prey
- Hand out balls or clay or playdough for participants to use to sculpt their dinosaur head.
- Choice: for younger audiences, it may be helpful to have the general shape of the dinosaur heads premade, then they can focus on adding the accessories.
- To build their dinosaur head, each participant will:
- Place straws into the clay to represent either sharp or dull teeth.
- Use small plasticine balls for eyes- either pointing toward or on the sides of their dinosaur head.
- Disassemble dinosaur heads at the end of the activity.
Activity 4: Digging for Bones
Reminder- Check with the teacher to ensure that there are no allergies related to the cookies before the workshop (Activity 4: Digging for Bones).
- Give each participant a cookie, a piece of paper towel and 2 toothpicks.
- They will dig through their cookie using only the toothpicks to separate out the chips/chunks (bones) from the rest of the cookie (soil/rocks).
- Choice: they may eat the cookie after they are done digging.
Activity 5: Discovery
- Free exploration time for participants to play with dinosaur books, toys and games.
Activity 6: Colouring
- Place a variety of dinosaur shapes out for them to colour alongside the environment pictures.
- They will colour their dinosaur to be “camouflaged” into an environment.
- Encourage the group to be creative- dinosaurs can be striped, spotted, anything!
Wrap-up
- Review the topics of the workshop- camouflage, herbivore vs carnivore, types of fossils, etc…
- Chose one or more of the following activities to wrap-up the workshop:
- Read “There is no such thing as a Brontosaurus” found on page 17 of the Dynamic Dinos Manual or any other storybook about dinosaurs.
- Dino Role Play, found on page 18 of the Dynamic Dinos Manual.
- Dino Stretching, found on page 18 of the Dynamic Dinos Manual.
After the Workshop
- Wash the container and spoon used to mix the plaster of paris.
- Wipe down all tables, making sure there are no spills and pick up large cookie crumbs from the ground.
- If it hasn’t been done already, disassemble dinosaur heads (Activity 3) and save plasticine/play dough for an upcoming workshop. Volunteers may choose to wait to do this once participants are not present.
Discovery
Dinosaurs were a group of reptiles that dominated life on Earth over 200 million years ago. Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years, meaning that there are no more dinosaurs alive. Scientists that study dinosaurs are called palaeontologists. They study dinosaurs by looking at the fossils that they left behind.
Fossils (explored in Activity 1: Making Fossils, Activity 2: Pammy the Protoceratops and Activity 3: Digging for Bones)
Fossils are a record of life that used to exist. There are two main types of fossils,
- Body fossils, things like bones and teeth
- Trace fossils- such as footprints or plant prints
Fossils are mostly preserved in sedimentary rocks, which are formed when layers of sediment from lakes, swamps and oceans are compressed over millions of years.
Trace fossils have two layers. The bottom layer is the undertrack, which is the soft mud imprinted by the animal/plant. The top layer consists of the sediment that fills the fossil print and forms a case of the print. In Activity 1: Making Fossils, the plasticine represents the bottom layer or the undertrack, while the plaster of paris represents the top layer. Palaeontologists can estimate things such as the speed and weight of the animal by studying the depth and size of the undertrack.
When paleontologists find dinosaur remains or fossils, they usually only find one or a couple small pieces instead of a whole skeleton. They have to use the knowledge they possess to guess how the pieces fit together. This is similar to what the participants had to do in Activity 2: Pammy the Protoceratops. Palaeontologists have to work very carefully to not damage any fossils or other evidence that may be helpful in identifying a fossil. Similar to how the participants had to be careful when they were digging for chocolate chips (bones) out of their cookies (sedimentary rock) in Activity 4: Digging for Bones.
Carnivore vs Herbivore (Activity 3: Dino Heads)
There are three main categories to describe animals based on their diet
- Carnivores only eat meat.
- Herbivores only eat plants.
- Omnivores eat both plants and meat.
Carnivores have sharp teeth for tearing meat and herbivores have dull teeth for grinding plants. Omnivores (such as humans) have a mix of both types of teeth.
Animals that eat other animals are called predators and the animals they eat are called prey. A predator’s eyes are on the front of its head and face forward so it can see its prey and tell how far away they are. A prey’s eyes are found on the side of their head, so that they can see in almost all directions to avoid being eaten. Not all prey are herbivores though, as some smaller prey may also eat meat!
Camouflage (Introduction and Activity 6: Colouring)
Scientists have to guess the colour of dinosaurs by looking at the colours of their environment. Just like wild animals today, dinosaurs would have likely blended into their environment in order to hide from other animals. The act of blending into one’s environment is called camouflage.
Camouflage was probably important to both prey and predatory dinosaurs. Prey dinosaurs had to be camouflaged so that they would not be seen easily by predators. Predators also needed to blend into their environment so that they could sneak up on their prey without being noticed. Scientists also look to present-day animals that have similar life-habits and habitats to determine what colour a dinosaur may have been.
Dinosaurs are captivating creatures that inspire curiosity and wonder at all ages. They are a great tool for educators to use when discussing the history of life and Earth. There are many theories as to why the dinosaurs went extinct and we may never know what happened.
- Before the workshop begins, hide Pammy the Protoceratops puzzle pieces around the classroom. When it is time to start the activity, have participants search for fossils (i.e. collect puzzle pieces) just like a paleontologist!
- Activity 1: Making Fossils, could be done without the use of plastic wrap. Make sure that the footprints do not go through the plasticine, otherwise the plaster of paris will stick to the bottom.
- In Activity 4: Digging for Bones, if there are enough cookies, let participants know that they can get the chance to excavate a second cookie only if they show you their work before eating the first one. Tell them that all scientists have to get their work checked by others before their research is considered “done”.
- To add complexity to Activity 4: Digging for Bones, provide participants with other tools such as small paint brushes, popsicle sticks, etc… in addition to the toothpicks. They must make a choice on what tools are the best to use for getting the chocolate chips out of the cookie. This also provides a base for further discussion on how paleontologists uncover fossils and the types of instruments they use.
- To switch up Activity 6: Colouring, have participants colour their dinosaurs to be camouflaged somewhere in the room. Allow them to choose where they would like their dinosaur to be hidden. After they finish colouring, help them cut out their dinosaur shape and tape it where it will be “camouflaged”. Make sure to write their name on the back of their dinosaur.
- Although dinosaurs are extinct, we do have some relatives of dinosaurs that are still alive today. Have the participants brainstorm what animals alive today may be related to dinosaurs. Remember that dinosaurs were reptiles and some were able to fly!
- The theory is that birds evolved from dinosaurs (or at least a reptile similar to a dinosaur) is supported by evidence noted by palaeontologists. Fossil skeletons of the primitive bird Archaeopteryx shows us features that are half-way between reptiles and birds. Some scientists believe that birds should be classified as dinosaurs!
- There is evidence to suggest that some dinosaurs had feathers!
- What is a Dinosaur? (Lessons) - students will use observing and sorting & classifying skills to learn that dinosaurs are extinct animals that share common characteristics.
- How Large Were Dinosaurs? (Lessons) - students develop their observation and comparing and contrasting skills as they explore the size of dinosaurs.
Web
Smithsonian – National Museum of Natural History – Department of Palaeobiology
Adventure Dinosaurs- Where do Paleontologists Work?
Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries (1993). The Visual Dictionary of Dinosaurs. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN: 0-7737-2685-3
Cole, J. (1994). The Magic School Bus: In the Time of the Dinosaurs. New York: Scholastic.
VanCleave, J. (1994). Janice VanCleave’s Dinosaurs for Every Kid. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Attachments
What's Happening?
Dinosaurs were a group of reptiles that dominated life on Earth over 200 million years ago. Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years, meaning that there are no more dinosaurs alive. Scientists that study dinosaurs are called palaeontologists. They study dinosaurs by looking at the fossils that they left behind.
Fossils (explored in Activity 1: Making Fossils, Activity 2: Pammy the Protoceratops and Activity 3: Digging for Bones)
Fossils are a record of life that used to exist. There are two main types of fossils,
- Body fossils, things like bones and teeth
- Trace fossils- such as footprints or plant prints
Fossils are mostly preserved in sedimentary rocks, which are formed when layers of sediment from lakes, swamps and oceans are compressed over millions of years.
Trace fossils have two layers. The bottom layer is the undertrack, which is the soft mud imprinted by the animal/plant. The top layer consists of the sediment that fills the fossil print and forms a case of the print. In Activity 1: Making Fossils, the plasticine represents the bottom layer or the undertrack, while the plaster of paris represents the top layer. Palaeontologists can estimate things such as the speed and weight of the animal by studying the depth and size of the undertrack.
When paleontologists find dinosaur remains or fossils, they usually only find one or a couple small pieces instead of a whole skeleton. They have to use the knowledge they possess to guess how the pieces fit together. This is similar to what the participants had to do in Activity 2: Pammy the Protoceratops. Palaeontologists have to work very carefully to not damage any fossils or other evidence that may be helpful in identifying a fossil. Similar to how the participants had to be careful when they were digging for chocolate chips (bones) out of their cookies (sedimentary rock) in Activity 4: Digging for Bones.
Carnivore vs Herbivore (Activity 3: Dino Heads)
There are three main categories to describe animals based on their diet
- Carnivores only eat meat.
- Herbivores only eat plants.
- Omnivores eat both plants and meat.
Carnivores have sharp teeth for tearing meat and herbivores have dull teeth for grinding plants. Omnivores (such as humans) have a mix of both types of teeth.
Animals that eat other animals are called predators and the animals they eat are called prey. A predator’s eyes are on the front of its head and face forward so it can see its prey and tell how far away they are. A prey’s eyes are found on the side of their head, so that they can see in almost all directions to avoid being eaten. Not all prey are herbivores though, as some smaller prey may also eat meat!
Camouflage (Introduction and Activity 6: Colouring)
Scientists have to guess the colour of dinosaurs by looking at the colours of their environment. Just like wild animals today, dinosaurs would have likely blended into their environment in order to hide from other animals. The act of blending into one’s environment is called camouflage.
Camouflage was probably important to both prey and predatory dinosaurs. Prey dinosaurs had to be camouflaged so that they would not be seen easily by predators. Predators also needed to blend into their environment so that they could sneak up on their prey without being noticed. Scientists also look to present-day animals that have similar life-habits and habitats to determine what colour a dinosaur may have been.
Why Does it Matter?
Dinosaurs are captivating creatures that inspire curiosity and wonder at all ages. They are a great tool for educators to use when discussing the history of life and Earth. There are many theories as to why the dinosaurs went extinct and we may never know what happened.
Investigate Further
- Before the workshop begins, hide Pammy the Protoceratops puzzle pieces around the classroom. When it is time to start the activity, have participants search for fossils (i.e. collect puzzle pieces) just like a paleontologist!
- Activity 1: Making Fossils, could be done without the use of plastic wrap. Make sure that the footprints do not go through the plasticine, otherwise the plaster of paris will stick to the bottom.
- In Activity 4: Digging for Bones, if there are enough cookies, let participants know that they can get the chance to excavate a second cookie only if they show you their work before eating the first one. Tell them that all scientists have to get their work checked by others before their research is considered “done”.
- To add complexity to Activity 4: Digging for Bones, provide participants with other tools such as small paint brushes, popsicle sticks, etc… in addition to the toothpicks. They must make a choice on what tools are the best to use for getting the chocolate chips out of the cookie. This also provides a base for further discussion on how paleontologists uncover fossils and the types of instruments they use.
- To switch up Activity 6: Colouring, have participants colour their dinosaurs to be camouflaged somewhere in the room. Allow them to choose where they would like their dinosaur to be hidden. After they finish colouring, help them cut out their dinosaur shape and tape it where it will be “camouflaged”. Make sure to write their name on the back of their dinosaur.
- Although dinosaurs are extinct, we do have some relatives of dinosaurs that are still alive today. Have the participants brainstorm what animals alive today may be related to dinosaurs. Remember that dinosaurs were reptiles and some were able to fly!
- The theory is that birds evolved from dinosaurs (or at least a reptile similar to a dinosaur) is supported by evidence noted by palaeontologists. Fossil skeletons of the primitive bird Archaeopteryx shows us features that are half-way between reptiles and birds. Some scientists believe that birds should be classified as dinosaurs!
- There is evidence to suggest that some dinosaurs had feathers!
- What is a Dinosaur? (Lessons) - students will use observing and sorting & classifying skills to learn that dinosaurs are extinct animals that share common characteristics.
- How Large Were Dinosaurs? (Lessons) - students develop their observation and comparing and contrasting skills as they explore the size of dinosaurs.
Resources
Web
Smithsonian – National Museum of Natural History – Department of Palaeobiology
Adventure Dinosaurs- Where do Paleontologists Work?
Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries (1993). The Visual Dictionary of Dinosaurs. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN: 0-7737-2685-3
Cole, J. (1994). The Magic School Bus: In the Time of the Dinosaurs. New York: Scholastic.
VanCleave, J. (1994). Janice VanCleave’s Dinosaurs for Every Kid. New York: John Wiley and Sons.