| Volume 6, Issue 6
March 17, 2008
A WORD ABOUT THIS ISSUE'S THEME
 Children are fascinated with dinosaurs. Witness the success of TV's purple dinosaur, Barney, or the kids' attraction to the Quaker Oatmeal "Dinosaur Eggs." No doubt your theme unit on this topic is a great success as well!
This issue focuses on those huge prehistoric creatures. We hope you find our activity ideas and Web site suggestions useful as you and your children dig in to discover dinosaurs.
Susan LaBella
Editor, Early Childhood Education Newsletter
ACTIVITY IDEAS
 DIGGING FOR DINOS
Give each child a paper cup half-filled with damp sand. Provide a variety of plastic dinosaurs. Let each child press the feet of a dino into the damp sand to show footprints. Now pour plaster of paris over each set of footprints. When the plaster is dry, peel off the paper cup. Bury the plaster discs in sand at your sensory table. Give each child a toothbrush and let him/her find and gently brush their fossils.
HOW BIG WAS IT?
Using a variety of reference books, determine the size of 3 or 4 dinosaurs. Tape a line on your floor that is the length of each dinosaur. Write the dinosaur's name on each piece of tape. Have each child lie down with his/her feet at the bottom of the tape line. Mark off the child's height and write his/her name next to the mark. When everyone has had a turn, let children compare their heights to those of dinosaurs to get a clear understanding of the size of these large animals.
EATING VOLCANOES
Discuss with children that when dinosaurs roamed the earth, volcanoes would erupt from time to time. Explain that some people believe erupting volcanoes were the cause of dinosaurs' disappearance from Earth. Then make this fun volcano snack. Give each child a pointed ice cream cone. Have each child bite off the point of his/her cone. Children can place the wide end of the cone into a small dish of chocolate pudding. (The cone is a volcano and the pudding is mud.) Next help children drizzle red, yellow, or orange frosting from a tube onto the top of their volcanoes. Finally place gummi dinos around the base of the volcano. Enjoy!
DINOS IN MY BATH TUB!
Create a thick paste using dry Ivory soap flakes and water. Give each child a small plastic dinosaur. Help children form an egg shape around the small dino and let the eggs dry. Each child can take his/her egg home -- and watch it "hatch" during bath time!
A REAL DINO EGG
Place a hard-boiled egg into vinegar for several weeks. Every few days, remove the egg and let children feel it. After a few weeks, the egg loses its calcium and becomes soft and leathery. Let children feel the egg again and explain that this is how real dinosaur eggs might have felt.
MAKE-A-DINO
Make a copy of a dinosaur skeleton. Cut the picture apart separating head, legs, ribs, tail, and so on. Next make multiple copies of each body part and give each child a set. Tell children to use the pieces to build their own dinosaurs. Children can work to decide where they want pieces to go. Accept any creations. Explain that this is how archeologists put together fossils that they discover.
DINOSAUR BOOKS TO READ
Dinosaur Babies by Lucille Penner
Dinosaur Bones by Aliki
Dinosaur Days by Joyce Milton
Dinosaur Roar by Paul & Henrietta Strickland
How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? by Jane Yolen
ON THE WEB
 Dinosaur Games
Try out some of these games -- great for motor skills!
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/preschool_themes/dinosaurs/dino_games.html
Dinosaurs
Here you'll find songs, fingerplays, and activities.
http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/dinosaur.html
Dinosaurs -- Recipes and Snacks
Some of these sound yummy!
http://www.childfun.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=97&mode=&order=0&thold=0
Dinosaurs
Ideas that include art, math, and science.
http://www.123child.com/UBB/showthread.php?t=3581
Dinosaurs
More suggestions for this super-popular theme.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/hbadltsch/pagedinos.html
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