DAY 11 --- Thursday --- June 30 --- Open House DAY!
Tonight is Open House from 5-7pm at "SEEKasaurus!" Paleontologist Folders were handed out, and each student creatively used dino stamps, colored pencils, markers, and stickers to create unique folders! We joined a few other SEEK classes to watch _Vacation on Mars_, performed by the Sing it, Act it, Shake it class. Our class was a fantastic audience, and we had fun watching this musical! We even got our picture taken with the cast!
T-Rex t-shirts --- Each student chose from 4 bright Tie Dye colors to "spritz" their T-Rex t-shirt. Since it was raining, we needed to move this project inside. Students created very unique designs, and after peeling off the contact paper at Open House, the T-Rex t-shirts were vivid and amazing!
The class will display their Dino Dioramas, Fossil Bones, Rock (dino egg) Geodes, Dino Tooth Necklaces, T-Rex t-shirts, Cast Fossil, Impression Fossil, Paleontologist Folder, and items in the hallway at Open House tonight. Each student received a Junior Paleontologist booklet from the National Park Service in Colorado & a Project SEEK Certificate! It was fantastic to meet parents and family members tonight! Thank you for coming out and enjoying this evening! I did miss seeing Anthony and Zack!
Tonight is Open House from 5-7pm at "SEEKasaurus!" Paleontologist Folders were handed out, and each student creatively used dino stamps, colored pencils, markers, and stickers to create unique folders! We joined a few other SEEK classes to watch _Vacation on Mars_, performed by the Sing it, Act it, Shake it class. Our class was a fantastic audience, and we had fun watching this musical! We even got our picture taken with the cast!
T-Rex t-shirts --- Each student chose from 4 bright Tie Dye colors to "spritz" their T-Rex t-shirt. Since it was raining, we needed to move this project inside. Students created very unique designs, and after peeling off the contact paper at Open House, the T-Rex t-shirts were vivid and amazing!
The class will display their Dino Dioramas, Fossil Bones, Rock (dino egg) Geodes, Dino Tooth Necklaces, T-Rex t-shirts, Cast Fossil, Impression Fossil, Paleontologist Folder, and items in the hallway at Open House tonight. Each student received a Junior Paleontologist booklet from the National Park Service in Colorado & a Project SEEK Certificate! It was fantastic to meet parents and family members tonight! Thank you for coming out and enjoying this evening! I did miss seeing Anthony and Zack!
DAY 10 --- Wednesday --- June 29 --- Pachycephalosaurus DAY!
It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! Kiddos learned about the prehistoric "head-butter", Pachycephalosaurus!
Very quickly hands went up when I asked how many letters were in this Jurassic dinosaur's name! 18 :) Students received a follow-up Stegosaurus packet, and 4 volunteers simulated the 4 spikes on the Stegosaurus tail!
Fossil Dig #2 --- Dino students worked like junior paleontologists when they tackled Fossil Dig #2. For this fossil dig, the students worked in 'pod pairs' --- 12 students, 6 eggs, 1 goal = to successfully excavate dino fossils from an egg-shaped dig. They had 30 minutes to work together as a team using 2-4 digging tools and 2 brushes. Some learned the lesson of trying to work slowly, like a paleontologist, and a few pod pairs added water to soften the 'ground' and make the dig go more smoothly. 6 out of 6 fossil digs were fully assembled, with only one broken Stegosaurus tail. Comments like "I already found something!", "The bottom is so much softer!", "Smash the tail in!", "We found the head & the neck!", and "We're going to do ours all manly...no water!" made the dig exciting! Great teamwork! The "Fossil Dig Sites" will be on display tomorrow at Open House night.
Fantastic Open House invitations for timorrow were created with a special "Dino Touch"! Students are excited to show off all the hard work then have done as junior paleontologists in Dinosaurs! We prepared our Dino T-Shirts with a T-Rex fossil skull 'sticker'. Tomorrow students will be creative when they spritz them with Tie Dye colors.
Dino Trivia --- "How many dinosaurs have been found?" (Hint: More than 100 & less than 1,000) Jacob took a smart guess --- 850 --- and Jack predicted 900. Both were closest --- between 700 - 900 dinosaurs have been discovered! Both boys picked out a cool dino prize.
So much to do before Open House --- I look forward to meeting all parents, friends and family tomorrow night between 5 - 7pm. Come enjoy Dinosaur Museum, food, items for sale, and the Project SEEK slide show!
It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! Kiddos learned about the prehistoric "head-butter", Pachycephalosaurus!
Very quickly hands went up when I asked how many letters were in this Jurassic dinosaur's name! 18 :) Students received a follow-up Stegosaurus packet, and 4 volunteers simulated the 4 spikes on the Stegosaurus tail!
Fossil Dig #2 --- Dino students worked like junior paleontologists when they tackled Fossil Dig #2. For this fossil dig, the students worked in 'pod pairs' --- 12 students, 6 eggs, 1 goal = to successfully excavate dino fossils from an egg-shaped dig. They had 30 minutes to work together as a team using 2-4 digging tools and 2 brushes. Some learned the lesson of trying to work slowly, like a paleontologist, and a few pod pairs added water to soften the 'ground' and make the dig go more smoothly. 6 out of 6 fossil digs were fully assembled, with only one broken Stegosaurus tail. Comments like "I already found something!", "The bottom is so much softer!", "Smash the tail in!", "We found the head & the neck!", and "We're going to do ours all manly...no water!" made the dig exciting! Great teamwork! The "Fossil Dig Sites" will be on display tomorrow at Open House night.
Fantastic Open House invitations for timorrow were created with a special "Dino Touch"! Students are excited to show off all the hard work then have done as junior paleontologists in Dinosaurs! We prepared our Dino T-Shirts with a T-Rex fossil skull 'sticker'. Tomorrow students will be creative when they spritz them with Tie Dye colors.
Dino Trivia --- "How many dinosaurs have been found?" (Hint: More than 100 & less than 1,000) Jacob took a smart guess --- 850 --- and Jack predicted 900. Both were closest --- between 700 - 900 dinosaurs have been discovered! Both boys picked out a cool dino prize.
So much to do before Open House --- I look forward to meeting all parents, friends and family tomorrow night between 5 - 7pm. Come enjoy Dinosaur Museum, food, items for sale, and the Project SEEK slide show!
DAY 9 --- Tuesday --- June 28 --- Stegosaurus DAY!
Dino Superstar #6 was Stegosaurus --- the class was so excited!! We discovered that this herbivore had 17 plates on his back that could have been used as solar panels. He also had 4 spikes on his tail measuring over a meter (4 ft.) in length.
Dino Dioramas --- Day 3 ---Inspired by new ideas (eggs, nests, bones) and other materials, we added dinosaurs and put the finishing touches on our Dino Dioramas. This step took some time! The dioramas are now ready for display at OPEN HOUSE on Thursday from 5-7pm. After snack, our class joined "How the Body Works" classes for a short outside recess. Students were very active --- playing a Predator/Prey Dinosaur tag game along with being on the playground. We needed to run off some energy!
Dino Trivia --- How many dinosaurs have been found? Students were encouraged to go home and do any research that would help them find the answer. We will discuss our predictions tomorrow!
Cast Fossil --- 12 Dinosaurs! made a cast fossil just like a paleontologist makes on a Fossil Dig! --- Step 1: choose a dinosaur (figurine) Step 2: wrap in tin foil (for the sake of time, we needed to skip this step) Step 3: dip 12" plaster strip in water, moisten and wrap the dinosaur. ***Now students have a "fossil" to excavate when they bring it home.
Fossils "skeletons" --- Ambitious scientists were given the challenge of assembling the fossil skeletons of T-Rex. The T-Rex teams were successful, and a Velociraptor team will continue tomorrow.
Show & Tell --- Anthony patiently waited to share his Parasaurolophus fossil. First he did a fossil dig at home, and then identified the fossil inside! A great "audience" question was where he found the fossil in the egg. Thanks for sharing Anthony!
Dino Superstar #6 was Stegosaurus --- the class was so excited!! We discovered that this herbivore had 17 plates on his back that could have been used as solar panels. He also had 4 spikes on his tail measuring over a meter (4 ft.) in length.
Dino Dioramas --- Day 3 ---Inspired by new ideas (eggs, nests, bones) and other materials, we added dinosaurs and put the finishing touches on our Dino Dioramas. This step took some time! The dioramas are now ready for display at OPEN HOUSE on Thursday from 5-7pm. After snack, our class joined "How the Body Works" classes for a short outside recess. Students were very active --- playing a Predator/Prey Dinosaur tag game along with being on the playground. We needed to run off some energy!
Dino Trivia --- How many dinosaurs have been found? Students were encouraged to go home and do any research that would help them find the answer. We will discuss our predictions tomorrow!
Cast Fossil --- 12 Dinosaurs! made a cast fossil just like a paleontologist makes on a Fossil Dig! --- Step 1: choose a dinosaur (figurine) Step 2: wrap in tin foil (for the sake of time, we needed to skip this step) Step 3: dip 12" plaster strip in water, moisten and wrap the dinosaur. ***Now students have a "fossil" to excavate when they bring it home.
Fossils "skeletons" --- Ambitious scientists were given the challenge of assembling the fossil skeletons of T-Rex. The T-Rex teams were successful, and a Velociraptor team will continue tomorrow.
Show & Tell --- Anthony patiently waited to share his Parasaurolophus fossil. First he did a fossil dig at home, and then identified the fossil inside! A great "audience" question was where he found the fossil in the egg. Thanks for sharing Anthony!
DAY 8 --- Monday --- June 27 --- Velociraptor DAY!
Today our Dino Superstar #5 was Velociraptor! We learned this meat-eating dinosaur was only 6 ft. long and 3 ft.high. Velociraptors had feathers, sharp teeth, and one VERY sharp claw on each foot. Students spent a few minutes jamming out to the educational Velociraptor Rap! Kiddos also colored Velociraptor claws and finished the large dinosaur floor puzzle! :)
Dino Trivia --- How fast did Velociraptor run? Students took smart guesses & learned that Velociraptor could run between 24-40mph. Waylon was closest to 24mph with a prediction of 35mph and Zach guessed exactly 40mph. Each one won a Pterodactyl figurine!
Dino Show & Tell --- Jacob shared 3 items in his special wooden box! He explained one was a Mosasaurus tooth embedded in fossil rock, a wolf tooth, and black amber. He purchased at least two of these items at the Science Museum on our Field Trip. Thanks for sharing Jacob!
Impression Fossils --- After we talked about what an Impression Fossil is, each student
was asked to take a piece of air dry clay, press it into a pancake/disc shape & use different dinosaurs to make track or skeleton impressions.
Dino Dioramas - Dau 2 --- Glue, colored paper, glitter, moss, sand, cotton balls, and lots of imagination was used to create the backdrop of the Mesozoic Era of dinosaurs in our shoe boxes. Tomorrow we will add the finishing touches, along with dinosaurs from the Cretaceous or Jurassic Period.
Experiment #3 --- We discovered that BOTH Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops' (3) eggs completely hatched over the weekend! A long neck, Spinosaurus and a Stegosaurus! Who made the correct prediction? Pods 1, 2, and 3 took turns filled 2 containers & 1 mixing bowl 1/2 full of water, and the transfer of each dinosaur was carefully made. Now we wait to see how big they will grow!
Today our Dino Superstar #5 was Velociraptor! We learned this meat-eating dinosaur was only 6 ft. long and 3 ft.high. Velociraptors had feathers, sharp teeth, and one VERY sharp claw on each foot. Students spent a few minutes jamming out to the educational Velociraptor Rap! Kiddos also colored Velociraptor claws and finished the large dinosaur floor puzzle! :)
Dino Trivia --- How fast did Velociraptor run? Students took smart guesses & learned that Velociraptor could run between 24-40mph. Waylon was closest to 24mph with a prediction of 35mph and Zach guessed exactly 40mph. Each one won a Pterodactyl figurine!
Dino Show & Tell --- Jacob shared 3 items in his special wooden box! He explained one was a Mosasaurus tooth embedded in fossil rock, a wolf tooth, and black amber. He purchased at least two of these items at the Science Museum on our Field Trip. Thanks for sharing Jacob!
Impression Fossils --- After we talked about what an Impression Fossil is, each student
was asked to take a piece of air dry clay, press it into a pancake/disc shape & use different dinosaurs to make track or skeleton impressions.
Dino Dioramas - Dau 2 --- Glue, colored paper, glitter, moss, sand, cotton balls, and lots of imagination was used to create the backdrop of the Mesozoic Era of dinosaurs in our shoe boxes. Tomorrow we will add the finishing touches, along with dinosaurs from the Cretaceous or Jurassic Period.
Experiment #3 --- We discovered that BOTH Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops' (3) eggs completely hatched over the weekend! A long neck, Spinosaurus and a Stegosaurus! Who made the correct prediction? Pods 1, 2, and 3 took turns filled 2 containers & 1 mixing bowl 1/2 full of water, and the transfer of each dinosaur was carefully made. Now we wait to see how big they will grow!
DAY 7 --- Friday --- June 24 --- Fossil &
X-Factor Dino DAY! Today was Fossil Day! We learned the 4 steps of a paleontologist's "Dino Dig" with volunteers reading each step. If you ask your child, they should be able to tell you: 1. Dig it 2. Map it 3. Wrap it 4. Move it! I even sounds like a dino rap! Students had the opportunity to do their 1st fossil dig named I "Dig" Dinosaurs, and each student received a tool (toothpick), and the ground with fossils (chocolate chip cookie). Each junior paleontologist needed to be very careful, and some kiddos discovered it was hard not to break the ground, the fossils, and/or the "tool" used for the dig. The most fossil chocolate chips discovered in one cookie? I believe on student found 22! Each fossil was worth "$25", and our class raised a total of "$4,600" for our fossils. It was fun to do an edible dig! Dracorex is a "dinosaur" with an X-Factor --- a flat skull. After watching a short video, we took a vote: Dinosaur or Dragon?We "met" Pete the Paleontologist and talked about his fossil dig tools. He looks a lot like Flat Stanley. Students decided he was missing a few items, so they added things like a compass, book, GPS, cell phone and healthy fool. How smart! Pete might get hungry while he is digging up fossils! Dino Diorama - Day 1 Painted the outside of our shoe-boxes black. On Monday & Tuesday we will add scenery and dinosaurs to complete the dioramas. Experiment #3 3 (colored) 3" dino eggs. 3 pods. 6 pod partner predictions. Which egg will hatch 1st & what dino will it be? Each pod picked someone to fill the cup & drop the egg inside --- we can't wait until we see what happens on Monday! Dino Trivia #5 --- How many years did dinosaurs rule the earth? The kiddos predictions ranged anywhere from 9 - 10,000 million years. Jacob won a Diplodocus ring, since his prediction of 165 million was the answer! Dino Show & Tell Abagail shared her book called _Did Dinosaurs Babysit?_ She even read from a page about the Maiasaura & how they laid eggs. Eli shared a dozen fossils given to him by his grandpa. He explained that most of them are prehistoric ocean fossils. Thanks for sharing Abagail and Eli! |
DAY 6 --- Thursday --- June 23 --- Field Trip DAY!
For our extended SEEK day, we traveled millions of year back in time to the Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery at the Science Museum of MN. Some of the boys worked very hard to operate a set of T-Rex jaws to recreate the carnivore's giant-sized bite! We were surprised to discover the Triceratops skeleton had been moved and was not available to view or take a group photo. The dinosaurs exhibit is truly "Under Construction". A SMM staff person took time to explain what a cast fossil of a duckbill dinosaur looked like. Kiddos were quite photogenic next to educational exhibits at the museum. The class also enjoyed two Science Live shows called "How Animals Walk" --- some even became participants! and "Fire Triangle"! Flappy Bird joined us for lunch, and we learned about separating our garbage for serious recycling. On to check out interesting souvenirs at the Explore Store! A big "THANK YOU!" to the 3 parents who enjoyed our field trip with us! They did a fantastic job of helping me keep track of 12 students. Each group had such a unique museum adventure! Check out our Field Trip slideshow below :)
For our extended SEEK day, we traveled millions of year back in time to the Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery at the Science Museum of MN. Some of the boys worked very hard to operate a set of T-Rex jaws to recreate the carnivore's giant-sized bite! We were surprised to discover the Triceratops skeleton had been moved and was not available to view or take a group photo. The dinosaurs exhibit is truly "Under Construction". A SMM staff person took time to explain what a cast fossil of a duckbill dinosaur looked like. Kiddos were quite photogenic next to educational exhibits at the museum. The class also enjoyed two Science Live shows called "How Animals Walk" --- some even became participants! and "Fire Triangle"! Flappy Bird joined us for lunch, and we learned about separating our garbage for serious recycling. On to check out interesting souvenirs at the Explore Store! A big "THANK YOU!" to the 3 parents who enjoyed our field trip with us! They did a fantastic job of helping me keep track of 12 students. Each group had such a unique museum adventure! Check out our Field Trip slideshow below :)
DAY 5 --- Wednesday --- June 22 ---Ankylosaurus DAY!
It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! Our Dino Superstar #4 was Ankylosaurus - we discovered this dinosaur wore heavy armor all over his body, including his eyelids. Volunteers were chosen to read and show the class signs that explain 4 vocabulary words: 1. Museum 2. Fossil 3. Theory 4. Paleontologist. We learned the 3 Periods of the Mesozoic Era, the reign of the dinosaurs! Volunteers each held one, and we problem-solved the correct order: 1. Triassic, 2. Jurassic, 3. Cretaceous! Dino Geodes/Eggs: It was a team effort to measure and mix each ingredient to make our Dino Geode/Egg mixture. Students carefully molded/shaped the mixture around small dinosaurs. When they dry, students can excavate the dinos with tools and parent permission! :) We painted our dino Fossil Bones with white, black, brown, and yellow paint and WOW! do they look awesome. The students tried very hard to make them look millions of years old. We can't wait to show them off at Open House next week.
After snack, we discussed details of our Field Trip tomorrow! What an exciting day we'll have :)
Dino Trivia #5: "How long did dinosaurs rule the earth?" The class will make their predictions after Field Trip Day to the Science Museum of MN.
It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! Our Dino Superstar #4 was Ankylosaurus - we discovered this dinosaur wore heavy armor all over his body, including his eyelids. Volunteers were chosen to read and show the class signs that explain 4 vocabulary words: 1. Museum 2. Fossil 3. Theory 4. Paleontologist. We learned the 3 Periods of the Mesozoic Era, the reign of the dinosaurs! Volunteers each held one, and we problem-solved the correct order: 1. Triassic, 2. Jurassic, 3. Cretaceous! Dino Geodes/Eggs: It was a team effort to measure and mix each ingredient to make our Dino Geode/Egg mixture. Students carefully molded/shaped the mixture around small dinosaurs. When they dry, students can excavate the dinos with tools and parent permission! :) We painted our dino Fossil Bones with white, black, brown, and yellow paint and WOW! do they look awesome. The students tried very hard to make them look millions of years old. We can't wait to show them off at Open House next week.
After snack, we discussed details of our Field Trip tomorrow! What an exciting day we'll have :)
Dino Trivia #5: "How long did dinosaurs rule the earth?" The class will make their predictions after Field Trip Day to the Science Museum of MN.
DAY 4 --- Tuesday --- June 21 ---
Diplodocus DAY!
It's Diplodocus Day at Dinosaurs! Today we learned about Dino Superstar #3 --- Diplodocus! We learned their teeth are made for eating plants and trees (conifers), and their nickname is the "stripper". They can grow to be 80-90 feet long (the length of an airplane or 2-3 buses) and have a tail that can really whip. Using paper mache to cover our TP Fossil Bones proved to be a huge challenge, since 9 out of 12 students are trying this process for the 1st time. Kids had lots of (flour/water) paste to wash off their hands and pods! No two Fossil Bones look alike.
After snack, we measured the length of dinos by laying down a pattern of 1 ft. paper strips on the floor. 30 ft. = Iguanodon, Stegosaurus, Triceratops. 40 ft. = T-Rex! Taking turns, the class laid next to the paper strips and we discovered that it took 8 1/2 people to measure the length of T-Rex! (Not everyone fit in the 40 ft. length!) A D-I-P-L-O-D-O-C-U-S scavenger hunt gave students a chance to explore and work as a team to solve the missing dinosaur letters and spell the name correctly, just like paleontologists try to solve dino mysteries.
Dino Trivia #4 - "How many T-Rex eggs have been found?" Predictions ranged from 10 - 500 eggs. Jack won a Diplodocus ring, since his prediction of 10 was the closest to the answer: 0!
Diplodocus DAY!
It's Diplodocus Day at Dinosaurs! Today we learned about Dino Superstar #3 --- Diplodocus! We learned their teeth are made for eating plants and trees (conifers), and their nickname is the "stripper". They can grow to be 80-90 feet long (the length of an airplane or 2-3 buses) and have a tail that can really whip. Using paper mache to cover our TP Fossil Bones proved to be a huge challenge, since 9 out of 12 students are trying this process for the 1st time. Kids had lots of (flour/water) paste to wash off their hands and pods! No two Fossil Bones look alike.
After snack, we measured the length of dinos by laying down a pattern of 1 ft. paper strips on the floor. 30 ft. = Iguanodon, Stegosaurus, Triceratops. 40 ft. = T-Rex! Taking turns, the class laid next to the paper strips and we discovered that it took 8 1/2 people to measure the length of T-Rex! (Not everyone fit in the 40 ft. length!) A D-I-P-L-O-D-O-C-U-S scavenger hunt gave students a chance to explore and work as a team to solve the missing dinosaur letters and spell the name correctly, just like paleontologists try to solve dino mysteries.
Dino Trivia #4 - "How many T-Rex eggs have been found?" Predictions ranged from 10 - 500 eggs. Jack won a Diplodocus ring, since his prediction of 10 was the closest to the answer: 0!
FIELD TRIP INFO! (Science Museum of MN)
We have 3 CONFIRMED parent chaperones! :)
Thursday --- June 23, 2016 FIELD TRIP DAY
Dear Parent(s)/Guardians,
Tomorrow is our extended day --- Dinosaurs! will be visiting the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Our schedule:
8:30 a.m. Arrive at Project SEEK (bus or parent drop off)
8:30 - 8:40 Restroom + expectations + load buses
8:40 - 9:30 Bus ride to Science Museum
9:30 – 11:00 Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery (Level 3)
11:00 – 11:30 Lunch (Level 2)
11:30 – 12:45 Explore museum exhibits (Levels 3, 4, and/or 5)
12:45 - 1:10 Gift Shop (Level 5) + Restroom
1:15 Load bus
1:15 – 2:20 Bus ride to NB Middle School/SEEK + restrooms
2:30 p.m. Reload buses/parent pick up
Please have students:
1. Wear comfortable shoes & Project SEEK t-shirt (or black t-shirt)
2. Bring a bag lunch (and spending money for gift shop)
3. fyi --- Backpacks are not allowed in exhibit galleries
If you have further questions --- text is best!
Melanie Hedberg
Dinosaurs! Instructor
612.845.0972
Dear Parent(s)/Guardians,
Tomorrow is our extended day --- Dinosaurs! will be visiting the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Our schedule:
8:30 a.m. Arrive at Project SEEK (bus or parent drop off)
8:30 - 8:40 Restroom + expectations + load buses
8:40 - 9:30 Bus ride to Science Museum
9:30 – 11:00 Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery (Level 3)
11:00 – 11:30 Lunch (Level 2)
11:30 – 12:45 Explore museum exhibits (Levels 3, 4, and/or 5)
12:45 - 1:10 Gift Shop (Level 5) + Restroom
1:15 Load bus
1:15 – 2:20 Bus ride to NB Middle School/SEEK + restrooms
2:30 p.m. Reload buses/parent pick up
Please have students:
1. Wear comfortable shoes & Project SEEK t-shirt (or black t-shirt)
2. Bring a bag lunch (and spending money for gift shop)
3. fyi --- Backpacks are not allowed in exhibit galleries
If you have further questions --- text is best!
Melanie Hedberg
Dinosaurs! Instructor
612.845.0972
DAY 3 --- Monday --- June 20 ---
Triceratops DAY!
Today our Dino Superstar #2 is the ever-popular Triceratops --- and the Triceratops' skull was an amazing 10 feet long! Volunteers helped measure the length in toilet paper squares; 3 TP squares = 1 ft --- so, using mental math, we knew 9 TP squares = 3 ft and 30 TP squares = 10 ft. Great math skills! We learned that Triceratops lived during the Cretaceous Period, the same time period as T-Rex, over 65 million years ago! They were plant eaters (herbivores) and ate ferns and cycads. Kiddos took a vote on who they thought would win a Triceratops vs. T-Rex fight, and after watching our video clip, discovered the T-Rex voters (5) were the winners! (this time :) Based on the anatomy we learned about the Triceratops, students were asked to to line up this dinosaur from the dinosaur display of "Skins" or"Skeletons". There was debate over the horns and frill.
After snack, we worked like serious paleontologists on our first fossil project, a toilet paper roll Dinosaur Bone! We discovered that rolling newspaper into balls and taping them to the TP roll was not as easy as it looked! There were even a few tears, but we are learned that everything is a scientific process and it takes practice to get it right.
Dino Trivia #3 --- "How long was a Triceratops' horn?" Predictions ranged from 23 in. to 9 ft. We discovered the horns are 3 feet long. The closest prediction? Abagail - 3 ft. and Andrew - 1 yd! Smart thinking!
Experiment #2 --- Dino Capsules! Students predicted what would happen when we dropped capsules in a cup of warm to hot water. As each capsule dissolved, a dinosaur began to hatch! We put on our 'scientist hat' to find out what safari animal each student had. Two students matched their predictions with the actual dinosaur. Patience is something we learned quickly!
Dino Show & Tell --- Day 2
Jacob brought a rock with trace fossils of leaves (ferns?) on it. He shared that his dad had found this fossil rock by a river. After taking 2 questions from the audience, he made sure everyone could see and touch his fossil rock. Thanks for sharing Jacob!
Triceratops DAY!
Today our Dino Superstar #2 is the ever-popular Triceratops --- and the Triceratops' skull was an amazing 10 feet long! Volunteers helped measure the length in toilet paper squares; 3 TP squares = 1 ft --- so, using mental math, we knew 9 TP squares = 3 ft and 30 TP squares = 10 ft. Great math skills! We learned that Triceratops lived during the Cretaceous Period, the same time period as T-Rex, over 65 million years ago! They were plant eaters (herbivores) and ate ferns and cycads. Kiddos took a vote on who they thought would win a Triceratops vs. T-Rex fight, and after watching our video clip, discovered the T-Rex voters (5) were the winners! (this time :) Based on the anatomy we learned about the Triceratops, students were asked to to line up this dinosaur from the dinosaur display of "Skins" or"Skeletons". There was debate over the horns and frill.
After snack, we worked like serious paleontologists on our first fossil project, a toilet paper roll Dinosaur Bone! We discovered that rolling newspaper into balls and taping them to the TP roll was not as easy as it looked! There were even a few tears, but we are learned that everything is a scientific process and it takes practice to get it right.
Dino Trivia #3 --- "How long was a Triceratops' horn?" Predictions ranged from 23 in. to 9 ft. We discovered the horns are 3 feet long. The closest prediction? Abagail - 3 ft. and Andrew - 1 yd! Smart thinking!
Experiment #2 --- Dino Capsules! Students predicted what would happen when we dropped capsules in a cup of warm to hot water. As each capsule dissolved, a dinosaur began to hatch! We put on our 'scientist hat' to find out what safari animal each student had. Two students matched their predictions with the actual dinosaur. Patience is something we learned quickly!
Dino Show & Tell --- Day 2
Jacob brought a rock with trace fossils of leaves (ferns?) on it. He shared that his dad had found this fossil rock by a river. After taking 2 questions from the audience, he made sure everyone could see and touch his fossil rock. Thanks for sharing Jacob!
Dino Show & Tell --- Day 1
Jack brought a Mososaur fossil tooth. He shared with the class that his mom got this fossil in New Mexico. The tooth accidentally fell and broke, and we talked about how this happens to paleontologists also. Eli brought his favorite book called Dinosaur! and shared that he reads this book before going to bed. He showed the class his favorite dinosaur in the book. Thanks for sharing Jack and Eli! |
DAY 2 --- Friday --- June 17 ---
T-REX DAY! It's T-Rex Day (Dino Superstar #1)! We learned about this epic dinosaur and wrote 2 amazing facts about the "King of the Cretaceous"! Students decorated their very own crowns with T-Rex "fossil teeth", markers, glitter, stickers, and other cool things to model at snack time -- each crown was so creative and unique! The class enjoyed eating "dinosaur meat" (a.k.a. beef jerky) with no hands, experiencing what it would be like to eat like T-Rex. Most students found this to be a tasty treat! Dino Trivia #2 --- "How many years did T-Rex live?" Most of our class thought T-Rex lived hundreds of years or more. We were surprised to learn that T-Rex only lived to the age of 30. Waylon made the closest prediction with 40 years! Experiment #1 --- Students discovered their "pod partner dinosaurs" had doubled in size. They noticed either the tail had grown or they could define different body parts when the dinosaur was larger! While referring to a picture of a T-Rex fossil from the American Museum of Natural History, the junior paleontologists created their own T-Rex or dino fossils using q-tips, glue and black paper. Wow, these students were thinking like scientists while using imagination and creativity! We put our shoes (36 including mine) inside a 3 1/2' T-Rex footprint. After making smart predictions, we discovered they did NOT fill up the T-Rex footprint and we needed more! |
DINOSAURS!
DAY 1 --- Thursday --- June 16 --- FOSSIL TOOTH DAY
I love my class! 11 boys and 1 girl (junior paleontologists) had an amazing first day at Dinosaurs! Expectations were talked about, and we discovered the different schools each student attends. Project SEEK t-shirts were handed out, and I hope students make sure the yellow letters DO glow in the dark! We collected white/light t-shirts and shoe boxes; each shoe box will be used to make our Dino Dioramas next week. The class learned about "Rise of the Dinosaurs" and made their own prehistoric dinosaur tooth necklace from Model Magic. Students scientifically decided if their tooth was from a meat-eater or a plant-eater. We combined black and yellow colors to give each tooth a true fossilized look and learned that we still see dinosaurs today in the form of birds. Students took 5 minutes to write as many dinosaurs as they know --- wow, I was impressed! Trivia questions #1 & 2 1. What was the most famous dinosaur? Majority vote was the T-Rex --- they were correct! 2. How many teeth did T-Rex have? Pods 1, 2, and 3 made predictions --- the closest # was 65 and the correct answer was --- 60! Experiment #1 Pod pairs were given a plastic glass and asked to fill it with as much water as they "needed". Each received a small dinosaur, predicted to grow 600%. After identifying the name, the dinosaur was dropped in the glass. How much will it grow in 5 min., 1 day, 2 days? Most pairs did NOT think it would grow 600%! Tomorrow, it will be fun to see what happened overnight. ***Please note: Have your child bring a shoebox tomorrow if they have not done so*** ***Field Trip Permission Slips will be sent home tomorrow --- please return on Monday*** |