Dinosaur Week - Week 6

Week 6 was our Dinosaur week.  We had a blast learning about dinosaurs.  Originally I had planned on taking the kids to Glen Rose TX to look at REAL dinosaur foot prints, but we did not make it.  We still learned plenty!  Click on the picture to be taken to that days activity!

We varied from our original "bucket list"  due to not traveling

ICE EGGS

DINO DIGGING

TEXAS DINOSAURS

DINOSAUR TRACKS

Dinosaur Fossils

So we wrapped up Texas Dinosaur day by talking about the fossil foot prints at Dinosaur Valley state park, I decided to talk a little more in depth about the fossils and about how they thought they were made.

For this activity I had cement, stones, rocks, and jewels

They made their hand prints in the cement - just like the dinosaurs did all those years ago.  We talked about how they thought it happened and why.

The kids had so much fun decorating their stepping stones & learning about dinosaurs this week!

Texas Dinosaur Day

I had originally planned to take the boys to Dinosaur Valley in Glen Rose TX, but I decided that it would not work out this summer being by my self with the 3 boys.  So instead we learned about Dinosaur Valley and the Dinosaurs who used to live there.

 I created my own coloring sheets with facts on the two dinosaurs know in that area.  I had to use generic pictures. The Acrontharus is a smaller version of the T-Rex (we used a T-Rex picture) and it is his foot prints that are mostly found at Dinosaur Valley

 The Paulxyasuraus Jonsi is similar to the brontosaurus (again I had to use a brontosaurus picture) and these particular foot prints that were found let them know this HUGE animal was able to support its weight on land.  Until these prints were found it was thought they had to use water to support their great weight

You can click on the two pictures below to make copies if you would like to color with your little ones.  Also click HERE for a print out on Texas Dinosaurs

Dino Digging - Week 6 - Day 2

This activity is very similar to Dino Fun that we did a while back.  This time I had them pretend they were paleontologist digging up dinosaurs, instead of them hatching.

It was a very similar set up.  I provided dinosaur toys for pretend play after the "excavation", rocks  and digging tools

ROAR!!!  All set up and ready to play

There was a living dinosaur in there, the one that's half showing was supposed to have been trapped in some goo.

This time the dough was still soft, so it was easy to "break them out"

After we dugg them out, or helped them hatch, your choice, we made mountains with the soft dough.

 I love it when you have one idea for "creative play" and their minds take it somewhere else.  Its really cool.

 Here is our baby, he is always sitting and observing with us.  I say things like

 "you like dinosaurs? 

He is Blue, a blue dinosaur. 

Can you touch him? 

How does he feel?  Smooth?"

This way he is learning sensory with us

Dino Week - Ice eggs

Day one of Dinosaur week. 

We were going to discover some frozen dinosaurs.  You know they were just walking around one day, and then BAM they were frozen.

This activity required a little prep work.  I got out some regular size balloons and shoved little toy dinosaurs in them.

Then I filled them with water and let them freeze a few days

When I got them out the boys were pretty suprised.  I cut the knot off and took the balloon off the ice.  It came off pretty easy.

Then I gave them a hammer and said "help get your friends out!"  Boys and hammers can be dangerous, so I said "lets put on saftey goggles"

They loved this!  I would say it kept them busy for about 45 min.  They each had three "eggs" and they shared a hammer.  I also heated water & let them pour it on the eggs.  We talked about what was happening.

"Why do you think the ice is melting when we pour water on it?"

"Is the water still hot after it runs on the ice?"

Clean up was pretty easy since I had the table covered.  But this is a wet activity and would be good out side...it just happened to be raining

Dino Fun

I set up this fun dinosaur activity for my son and his friend today.

The original idea can be found here, from Play at home mom.

Two dinosaur discovery trays with big dinosaurs to play with.

Rarr!!!  Dinosaur with Dinosaur eggs to dig excavate.
Each tray included dino eggs (with dinosaurs inside) cloud dough, trees, a momma dinosaur & a nest

To make my dough I used

1 C flour

3/4 C salt

add water until a dough forms

form eggs around dinosaurs (they were in the Easter section for super cheep)

let dry for a few days (mine dryed a week and a half)

E wanted his dinosaur to take a bath.
Magnifying glass, screw driver to digg dino eggs & hammer

Digging his dinosaur out

Fun Dinosaur activity!!!!  He asked if we could do it again soon