BLAST Early Learning

Dinosaurs!

Books:

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?

by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Describes how a dinosaur eats, with no rude noises and while sitting very still.

 

Prehistoric Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

Learn what it’s like to come face-to-face with some of the dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth through these "actual-size" illustrations.

 

Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland

Illustrations and rhyming text presents all kinds of dinosaurs, including ones that are sweet, grumpy, spiky, or lumpy.

Rhyme:

Five Crazy Dinosaurs

Five crazy Dinosaurs sweeping the floor,
One got swept away, then there were four.
Four crazy Dinosaurs chased by a bee,
One got stung, then there were three.
Three crazy Dinosaurs playing with glue,
One got stuck, then there were two.
Two crazy Dinosaurs out for a run,
One fell down, then there was one.
One crazy Dinosaur acting like a hero.
He went out to save the other,
Then there were zero.

Song:

The Dino Ditty

Here he comes just a stomping with his feet
Singing Dino, ditty, ditty-dum, ditty do
Searching all around for something to eat
Singing Dino, ditty, ditty dum ditty do
He’s huge (echo) He’s strong (echo) He’s huge, he’s strong.
Won’t be hungry very long
Dino ditty, ditty dum, ditty do
Yeah, Dino ditty, ditty dum, ditty do

Vocabulary Word:

Swift v. moving very fast.

Example: "The bird-like Saltopus, one of the smallest dinosaurs, was a swift runner".
(taken from Prehistoric Actual Size by Steve Jenkins)

Activities:

Dinosaur Tooth Necklace

Using molding clay, show your children how to make a tooth shapes. Have them put holes into the top of the tooth. Let the teeth dry for a couple of days. Once it has dried, let your children string it on yarn to make a "dinosaur tooth necklace."

The Jaws of a Tyrannosaurus Rex

Put a ten foot circle somewhere in your class. Hide large dinosaur teeth in different places around the room before the students arrive. Have the students find the dinosaur teeth and bring them back to the circle. Tape the teeth around the circle. Explain to the children that the circle is how wide the Tyrannosaurus Rex mouth was. Let them see how many of them can fit in the jaw.

Dinosaur Skeleton

Provide your students with paper, pasta pieces, glue, and crayons. Let the students design their own dinosaur skeleton.

A Dinosaur Egg

Put a boiled egg into vinegar for several weeks. The egg will become soft and leathery like a real dinosaur egg might have felt. You can carefully take it out and let your children feel a "real" dinosaur egg.

Brown Paper Dinosaur

Provide your students with brown paper bags, paint, construction paper, and googly eyes. Cut brown paper bags length-wise in half. With bottom flap facing you, cut off corners of flap to make the shape of a dinosaur head. Decorate with markers and googly eyes. Using green construction paper, cut a fringe to resemble long grass. Attach to a bulletin board. Staple dinosaurs in back of grass with their heads peeking over the top.

Shoeseratops

Trace around your students’ shoes on a piece of construction paper. Then let your children design their own Shoeseratops dinosaur with art materials.

Literature:

The Best Pet Of All by David LaRochelle

A young boy enlists the help of a dragon to persuade his mother to let him have a dog as a pet.

 

 

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen

Chen Crocodile Guji Guji was raised by a family of ducks. One day he met 3 crocodiles who told him that he was not a duck. They ask Guji Guji to help them trap ducks. Guji Guji then tricked the crocodiles and saved duck family.

 

Jackalope by Janet Stevens

A jackrabbit who wishes to be feared asks his fairy godrabbit for horns and becomes the first jackalope, but here’s one condition: he must not tell lies.

 

Souperchicken by Mary Jane and Herm Auch

When Henrietta becomes the first chicken in her coop to learn how to read, she uses her skills to save her aunties from becoming chicken soup.

 

Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus by Mo Willems

When the bus driver decides to take a break from driving, a wild and wacky pigeon pleads and begs to take his place, capturing the antics of a preschooler's temper tantrum.