Many children and adults as well are fascinated with dinosaurs.  This is an exciting way for students to learn about them in a fun way!  Set up an interest center with dinosaur books and dinosaur figures.  Choose two or three dinosaur books to read before doing the “dig.”

DINOSAUR DIG ACTIVITY:

• Materials needed:

1. Cheap, tiny little dinosaurs from a dollar store, enough for each child to have three or four dinosaurs
2. Plastic containers such as Cool Whip containers, one container per child
3. Plaster of Paris mix to be used by an adult
4. Tools such as small screwdrivers, small hammers, etc., for each child
5. Optional:  Buy safari hats at a party supply store, one per child  (we can get them for 89 cents each)  Let each “paleontologist” wear a hat while excavating their “dinosaur dig.”

One online site has safari hats for $9.99/dozen.

• Make one “dinosaur dig” for each child beforehand:   Cut each dinosaur apart into several pieces, keeping the pieces for each dinosaur together.  Place three or four cut-apart dinosaurs in each plastic container and mix up the pieces, one container per child. Have an adult carefully mix up some Plaster of Paris according to directions and pour about an inch onto the dinosaur pieces in the plastic containers. After it hardens, take out of the container.  These “paleontological sites” are now ready for the student “paleontologists.”  While wearing their hats, let the students use their tools to chip away at the Plastic of Paris, slowly discovering pieces of their dinosaur.  As they discover the pieces, they can put them together like a puzzle until they have all the missing pieces.

DINOSAUR EXHIBIT  (Dallas Museum of Nature and Science)

• Pictures of dinosaur skeletons exhibit
• Information about a  Dino Dig
• Torosaurus information
• Tyrannosaurus Rex information
• Quetzalcoatlus information (not a dinosaur but had a wingspan of 50 feet!)
• Malawisaurus, Tenontosaurus, hypsilophodontid, Alamosaurus, Diplodocus, Pawpawsaurus, and Trilophosaurus  – seven plant eating dinosaurs
• Deinosuchus information

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

• Danny and the Dinosaur (I Can Read Book Series: Level 1) by Syd Hoff.  Cute story about the friendship between a dinosaur and a boy.
• Dinosaur Hunters by Kate McMullan.  (Scholastic Step Into Reading, Step 4)  Good for ages 7-10.
• Dinosaurs by Roger Priddy.  Activity book with 50 stickers.
• Dinosaurs by Tracy Christopher (Scholastic – A Smart Start Reader)  Good for ages 6-8.
• Dinosaurs Before Dark (Majestic Tree House Series #1) by Mary Pope Osborne.  Kids find a magic tree that takes them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.  Good for ages 5-9.
• Dinosaurs (DK Pockets Series) by DK Publishing & William Lindsay.  Highly comprehensive visual guide for ages 8+.
• Dinosaurs (Encyclopedia Prehistorica Series) by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart.  Great pop-up book.
• Dinosaurs: Sticker Encyclopedia by DK Publishing.  Good for ages 5+.
• Dinosaurs:  The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by Luis V. Rey.  Written by a paleontologist.  Covers 800+ species of Mesozoic dinosaurs.  Good for ages 12+.
• How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague.   Great for ages 2-5.
• How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague.  Great for ages 2-5.
• The Very Dizzy Dinosaur by Jack Tickle.  A pop-up book good for teaching names of dinosaurs.

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Many of you already know about Starfall.  For those who don’t, it’s an excellent free site to encourage children to learn to read while having fun.  This site is great for children learning their alphabet letters, learning the sounds of letters, and learning how to read words or short stories.

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If your son or daughter (or maybe a grandchild, niece, or nephew) is going to be attending college and is interested in trying to get a SAT scholarship, then Knewton’s Test Prep Course may be just what they need to sharpen their skills.   This Knewton Review will give you information about the course itself and how to enter the giveaway for a free course, valued at $490.  The deadline for entering this giveaway is June 30, 2010.

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KidsAstonomy.com is a great site for students to use when learning about the planets, moons, asteroids and comets.   This site offers free games and free online classes as well.  Their “Teacher’s Corner” provides free worksheets and a learning center

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Sheppard Software.com is a wonderful site with FREE online geography games to teach students of all ages the following:

• Names of the 50 United States
• Location of each state on the map
• Capital of each state
• Geographic regions of the U.S.
• Lakes of the U.S.
• Rivers of the U.S.
• Bays, seas, & other ocean features surrounding the U.S.

A  helpful tip: Their site mentions at the top what to do if a game is not working.  The game did not work for me, and so I used their tip to use the Mac version even though I have a PC.   It worked!

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