Day 12 --- Extinction Day --- Fri. 6/26/15
What an exciting last day of Dinosaurs! We visited Lego Robotics and had the opportunity to play Scratch Games students created and watch 3 students demonstrate their computer-programmed space rovers.
Dinosaur Names --- We learned how dinosaurs are named one of four different ways, and I shared the meaning of each student's name. I was surprised to learn a few students already knew the meaning of their names! Student were given a packet so information so they can create their own dinosaur names.
iPads --- Pod pairs had fun doing dino research on an iPad and listening to several of our Dino Superstar raps! This is the first time we've had iPads in the Dinosaurs! class, and I know the students had a great time!
Snack Clean-Up --- After snack, Dinosaurs! cleaned the lunchroom like troopers! Everyone had a job responsibility --- spraying tables, wiping tables, sweeping the floor, or emptying the dustpans!
Guest Speaker (Show & Tell) --- While we waited for our guest speaker, Jack Hudson, dinosaur enthusiast from the Twin Cities, to arrive, students helped with a few clean up tasks in our room. When Mr. Hudson arrived, he shared a Hadrosaur fossil from a dig his friends did in South Dakota last summer. The plant-eating dinosaur fossil was still cast in plaster and aluminum foil and contained a leg bone and 1-2 ribs! The excavated dirt was also contained in the cast. Students got the chance to touch the fossil and ask questions. This was a fantastic opportunity to see firsthand the Fossil Dig steps we learned during SEEK.
Thanks to Chelsea M. (Miss M.) --- an AmeriCorps MN Reading Corps tutor, for volunteering in our Dinosaurs! class for several days during Project SEEK! She will be tutoring in Pine City again next year.
The Dinosaurs! Class has been amazing and so full of energy! Check out the Paleontologists Folders for more information about superstar dinos. Your children were great Junior Paleontologists and know so much about dinosaurs! It was awesome to see their creativity and hear their scientific predictions :
Dinosaur Names --- We learned how dinosaurs are named one of four different ways, and I shared the meaning of each student's name. I was surprised to learn a few students already knew the meaning of their names! Student were given a packet so information so they can create their own dinosaur names.
iPads --- Pod pairs had fun doing dino research on an iPad and listening to several of our Dino Superstar raps! This is the first time we've had iPads in the Dinosaurs! class, and I know the students had a great time!
Snack Clean-Up --- After snack, Dinosaurs! cleaned the lunchroom like troopers! Everyone had a job responsibility --- spraying tables, wiping tables, sweeping the floor, or emptying the dustpans!
Guest Speaker (Show & Tell) --- While we waited for our guest speaker, Jack Hudson, dinosaur enthusiast from the Twin Cities, to arrive, students helped with a few clean up tasks in our room. When Mr. Hudson arrived, he shared a Hadrosaur fossil from a dig his friends did in South Dakota last summer. The plant-eating dinosaur fossil was still cast in plaster and aluminum foil and contained a leg bone and 1-2 ribs! The excavated dirt was also contained in the cast. Students got the chance to touch the fossil and ask questions. This was a fantastic opportunity to see firsthand the Fossil Dig steps we learned during SEEK.
Thanks to Chelsea M. (Miss M.) --- an AmeriCorps MN Reading Corps tutor, for volunteering in our Dinosaurs! class for several days during Project SEEK! She will be tutoring in Pine City again next year.
The Dinosaurs! Class has been amazing and so full of energy! Check out the Paleontologists Folders for more information about superstar dinos. Your children were great Junior Paleontologists and know so much about dinosaurs! It was awesome to see their creativity and hear their scientific predictions :
Day 11 --- Open HOuse Day --- Thurs. 6/25/15
It was Open House Day from 5-7pm at "SEEKasaurus!" It was fantastic to meet parents and family members tonight! I did miss seeing Gianni and Jacob! This morning, we joined Calling All Artists and Exploring France to watch the play "Clue", performed by Shakepeare's Kids. Again, our class was a fantastic audience. We loved the real dog in the play named "Paws"!
Fossil Dig #2 --- Day 2 --- The final 3 pod pairs successfully finished their digs, identified the fossil dinosaur and put them on display. Pod pairs showed them off to parents at Open House.
T-Rex t-shirts --- Each student chose from 4 colors to "spritz" their T-Rex t-shirts. Though it was windy, they created very unique designs. After peeling off the contact paper, the designs were vivid and amazing!
The class displayed 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. We received Jr. Paleontologist booklets from the National Park Service in Colorado.
Show & Tell --- Brody told about a mouse skeleton he found, and that brought up the discussion of pre-historic rodents. Rachel shared her T-Rex from a garage sale. Our favorite part was when it roared and moved its mouth and tiny hands. Thanks for sharing Brody and Melanie!
Fossil Dig #2 --- Day 2 --- The final 3 pod pairs successfully finished their digs, identified the fossil dinosaur and put them on display. Pod pairs showed them off to parents at Open House.
T-Rex t-shirts --- Each student chose from 4 colors to "spritz" their T-Rex t-shirts. Though it was windy, they created very unique designs. After peeling off the contact paper, the designs were vivid and amazing!
The class displayed 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. We received Jr. Paleontologist booklets from the National Park Service in Colorado.
Show & Tell --- Brody told about a mouse skeleton he found, and that brought up the discussion of pre-historic rodents. Rachel shared her T-Rex from a garage sale. Our favorite part was when it roared and moved its mouth and tiny hands. Thanks for sharing Brody and Melanie!
Day 10 --- Pachycephalosaurus Day --- WED. 6/24/15
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It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! We were the premiere audience for the Sing It, Act It, Shake It class performance of "Hatshepsut, Queen of Denial.", along with Dissections and Calling All Artists. Our class was a fantastic audience, and we learned a lot about Egypt and Pharaohs. Burik's sister was in the musical, and Biruk loved his group photo with the cast! The pictures show our class watching the performance. We learned the Egyptian word "Ma'at" means balance, order...and calm.
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' --- 14 students, 7 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 digging tools and 2 brushes. Some learned the lesson of trying to work slowly, like a paleontologist. 4 out of 7 fossil digs were fully assembled. We heard comments like --- "This is really hard!", "I knew I was digging in the right spot!", "I think we're working like a real paleontologist!", "I found part of it!", "I found the head!". And like a real paleontologist, they discovered what it feels like to not find every bone during a dig. Great teamwork!
Trivia ? --- How many states have fossils have been found in? (We are pondering this question overnight :)
Show & Tell - Day 6 --- Biruk shared two 'rubber' dinosaurs he just bought at Target. We recognized Stegosaurus & T-Rex, and students had a fun time squeezing them. Henry shared a dino egg that 'hatched' an herbivore with 1 horn on its frill and one on its face. We decided that Henry discovered a new species of dinosaur. We decided to name it a "Unicornasaurus". Thanks for sharing Biruk and Henry!
So much to do, and so little time before Open House --- I look forward to meeting all parents, friends and family tomorrow night between 5 = 7pm.
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' --- 14 students, 7 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 digging tools and 2 brushes. Some learned the lesson of trying to work slowly, like a paleontologist. 4 out of 7 fossil digs were fully assembled. We heard comments like --- "This is really hard!", "I knew I was digging in the right spot!", "I think we're working like a real paleontologist!", "I found part of it!", "I found the head!". And like a real paleontologist, they discovered what it feels like to not find every bone during a dig. Great teamwork!
Trivia ? --- How many states have fossils have been found in? (We are pondering this question overnight :)
Show & Tell - Day 6 --- Biruk shared two 'rubber' dinosaurs he just bought at Target. We recognized Stegosaurus & T-Rex, and students had a fun time squeezing them. Henry shared a dino egg that 'hatched' an herbivore with 1 horn on its frill and one on its face. We decided that Henry discovered a new species of dinosaur. We decided to name it a "Unicornasaurus". Thanks for sharing Biruk and Henry!
So much to do, and so little time before Open House --- I look forward to meeting all parents, friends and family tomorrow night between 5 = 7pm.
Day 9 --- STEgosaurus Day --- tues. 6/23/15
Our 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. Henry, Jacob, Bella, and Brody demonstrated how the 4 spikes sat on the tail by standing in groups of two.
Cast Fossil --- 14 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 (this part was tricky) Step 3: dip plaster strip in water, moisten and wrap the dinosaur (even trickier). ***Now students have a "fossil" to excavate when they bring it home!
Dino Dioramas --- Day 3 ---Inspired by new ideas (eggs, nests, bones) and materials, we added dinosaurs and put the finishing touches on our Dino Dioramas. They are now ready for display at OPEN HOUSE on Thursday from 5-7pm.
Trivia ? --- How many dinosaurs have been found? Everyone took a smart scientific guess. The correct answer --- 700 and counting! It was interesting that students got warmer as their counting increased by 25's.
Fossils "skeletons" --- Ambitious scientists were given the challenge of assembling the fossil skeletons of Velociraptor and T-Rex. The T-Rex team was successful, and the Velociraptor team will continue tomorrow. Noah A. and Noah P. organized the dinosaurs into two groups --- Carnivores and Herbivores --- by the characteristics on each dino. Skeleton dinosaurs were added to the group for special effect!
Show & Tell - Day 5 --- Melanie shared her Dinosaur Drawing book and over a dozen awesome pictures that she has hand drawn. Gianni shared several dino figurines, and he told us his dinos like to fight. Thanks for sharing Melanie and Gianni! HAPPY DINO-BIRTHDAY JACKSON! Thank you for sharing your OREOS! :)
Cast Fossil --- 14 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 (this part was tricky) Step 3: dip plaster strip in water, moisten and wrap the dinosaur (even trickier). ***Now students have a "fossil" to excavate when they bring it home!
Dino Dioramas --- Day 3 ---Inspired by new ideas (eggs, nests, bones) and materials, we added dinosaurs and put the finishing touches on our Dino Dioramas. They are now ready for display at OPEN HOUSE on Thursday from 5-7pm.
Trivia ? --- How many dinosaurs have been found? Everyone took a smart scientific guess. The correct answer --- 700 and counting! It was interesting that students got warmer as their counting increased by 25's.
Fossils "skeletons" --- Ambitious scientists were given the challenge of assembling the fossil skeletons of Velociraptor and T-Rex. The T-Rex team was successful, and the Velociraptor team will continue tomorrow. Noah A. and Noah P. organized the dinosaurs into two groups --- Carnivores and Herbivores --- by the characteristics on each dino. Skeleton dinosaurs were added to the group for special effect!
Show & Tell - Day 5 --- Melanie shared her Dinosaur Drawing book and over a dozen awesome pictures that she has hand drawn. Gianni shared several dino figurines, and he told us his dinos like to fight. Thanks for sharing Melanie and Gianni! HAPPY DINO-BIRTHDAY JACKSON! Thank you for sharing your OREOS! :)
Day 8 --- Velociraptor Day --- MON. 6/22/15
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 their foot. The students also spent a few minutes jammed out to the educational Velociraptor Rap! The Project SEEK intern, Mikayla, spent the morning with Dinosaurs!
Trivia ? --- How fast did T-Rex run? 3 students took smart guesses, and the T-Rex speed ranged between 25mph - 100mph. Jackson wrote the right answer --- 25mph Students learned that Velociraptor could run between 24-40mph, even faster than T-Rex.
Show & Tell - Day 4 --- Noah P. shared his Dinopedia with the class. He read the Velociraptor page and took 2 questions from the "audience". Thanks for sharing Noah P!
Dino Dioramas - Dau 2 --- A few students still needed to paint the outside of their shoe boxes (blue). Building dioramas brought out our creativity, using glue, colored paper, glitter, leaves, cotton balls, and lots of imagination to create the backdrop of the Mesozoic Era of dinosaurs. Tomorrow we will add the finishing touches, along with dinosaurs from the Cretaceous or Jurassic Period.
Dino Teeth --- We wore our Dino Teeth necklaces to snack today and discovered several of the necklaces lost a few parts, just like a dinosaur fossil. Elmer's glue to the rescue! On the way to snack we met Mr. "Fly Man" - who was on his way to teach the art of Fly Fishing to the Outdoor Adventures class.
Trivia ? --- How fast did T-Rex run? 3 students took smart guesses, and the T-Rex speed ranged between 25mph - 100mph. Jackson wrote the right answer --- 25mph Students learned that Velociraptor could run between 24-40mph, even faster than T-Rex.
Show & Tell - Day 4 --- Noah P. shared his Dinopedia with the class. He read the Velociraptor page and took 2 questions from the "audience". Thanks for sharing Noah P!
Dino Dioramas - Dau 2 --- A few students still needed to paint the outside of their shoe boxes (blue). Building dioramas brought out our creativity, using glue, colored paper, glitter, leaves, cotton balls, and lots of imagination to create the backdrop of the Mesozoic Era of dinosaurs. Tomorrow we will add the finishing touches, along with dinosaurs from the Cretaceous or Jurassic Period.
Dino Teeth --- We wore our Dino Teeth necklaces to snack today and discovered several of the necklaces lost a few parts, just like a dinosaur fossil. Elmer's glue to the rescue! On the way to snack we met Mr. "Fly Man" - who was on his way to teach the art of Fly Fishing to the Outdoor Adventures class.
Day 7 --- Fossil Day --- Fri. 6/19/15
Today was Fossil Day!, First, we learned the 4 steps of a "Dino Dig" with volunteers reading each one. If you ask your child, they could tell you: 1. Dig it, 2. Map it, 3. Wrap it, 4. Move it! It even sounds like a dino rap!
We then met "Pete the Paleontologist", who looks a lot like "Flat Stanley". As a 10-year old boy from Colorado, we talked about the tools Pete will need to do his "1st fossil dig". Even a tool belt is used! Watching a short video clip called "A Day in the Life of a Paleontologist" made a dig even more real :)
Fossil Dig #1 --- The name of our 1st fossil dig was I "DIG" Dinosaurs, and each student received a tool (toothpick), ground (cookie), fossils (chocolate chips) and a page to map their dig. A few jr. paleontologists 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 one student found 29! Each fossil was worth "$25". With 172 excavated fossils, Dinosaurs! earned "$4,300" - great math! This edible dig sure was tasty!
Impression Fossils - Day 1 --- Henry read what an Impression Fossil means. We each got a ball of salt dough, pressed it into a pancake shape, and used dinosaurs to make track or skeleton impressions.
Dino Diarama - Day 1 --- Painted our shoe boxes with a coat of bright blue paint to showcase the diorama we will create inside. We discovered a single coat isn't enough to completely cover some of the shoe boxes.
Show & Tell - Day 4
Alyssa shared a T-Rex dino figurine that she plays with often. T-Rex had a small accident at SEEK and did go home in two pieces. Jackson shared his stuffed Triceratops (or as he calls it "Triscaratops!") named Dino 'deeno' he bought on a Field Trip. He also shared a human skeleton that can be disassembled. Thanks for sharing Alyssa and Jackson! :)
We then met "Pete the Paleontologist", who looks a lot like "Flat Stanley". As a 10-year old boy from Colorado, we talked about the tools Pete will need to do his "1st fossil dig". Even a tool belt is used! Watching a short video clip called "A Day in the Life of a Paleontologist" made a dig even more real :)
Fossil Dig #1 --- The name of our 1st fossil dig was I "DIG" Dinosaurs, and each student received a tool (toothpick), ground (cookie), fossils (chocolate chips) and a page to map their dig. A few jr. paleontologists 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 one student found 29! Each fossil was worth "$25". With 172 excavated fossils, Dinosaurs! earned "$4,300" - great math! This edible dig sure was tasty!
Impression Fossils - Day 1 --- Henry read what an Impression Fossil means. We each got a ball of salt dough, pressed it into a pancake shape, and used dinosaurs to make track or skeleton impressions.
Dino Diarama - Day 1 --- Painted our shoe boxes with a coat of bright blue paint to showcase the diorama we will create inside. We discovered a single coat isn't enough to completely cover some of the shoe boxes.
Show & Tell - Day 4
Alyssa shared a T-Rex dino figurine that she plays with often. T-Rex had a small accident at SEEK and did go home in two pieces. Jackson shared his stuffed Triceratops (or as he calls it "Triscaratops!") named Dino 'deeno' he bought on a Field Trip. He also shared a human skeleton that can be disassembled. Thanks for sharing Alyssa and Jackson! :)
Day 6 - Field Trip - Thurs. 6/18/15
For our extended SEEK day, 12 students traveled millions of years back in time at the Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery at the Science Museum of MN in St. Paul. We shared our bus ride with Lego Robotics, How it Works, and Flappy Bird classes. The kids worked very heard to operate a set of T-Rex jaws to recreate the carnivore's giant-sized bite! The kids were quite photogenic next to Triceratops & T-Rex, along with other educational and hands-on exhibits at the museum. The class also enjoyed a science show called "Dating Dinosaurs". We sat in the front row, and a few students participated in the show!. We learned how to recycle our garbage after lunch, and we found lots of interesting dinosaur (and other) souvenirs at the Explore Store. A big "Thank You" to Caroline and Matt for chaperoning our educational field trip.
DAY 5 - ANKYLOSAURUS -Wed. 6/17/15
It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! Our Dino Superstar #4 was Akylosaurus - we discovered he wore heavy armor all over his body, including his eyelids! Students wrote 3 facts they learned about this armored dinosaur. We also discovered our experiment with growing dinos was successful. They are filling the Styrofoam bowls with water!
The junior paleontologists worked very carefully to measure ingredients (flour, salt, used coffee grounds, sand and water) for our Rock (dino egg) Geode recipe. Each student choose a dinosaur and carefully 'wrapped' the rock geode material around it until they had the desired shape. No two Rock Geodes look alike! Some look like eggs, while others look a bit more like dino poop (We also discussed Coprolites! :)
After snack time, students got the opportunity to groove to Dinosaur Stomp! an educational song with movement and lots of fun! We also took on a "Puzzle Challenge" --- 1 team assembled a Triceratops Puzzle while the other team worked on a prehistoric mural puzzle.
We painted our fossil dino bones and WOW! do they look awesome. The students tried very hard to make them look millions of years old with colors like white, yellow, brown, black (and a few have a touch of red). When the paint started to dry, it seemed to have a crackle effect, making the bones really look pre-historic. We can't wait to show them off at the Open House!
Show & Tell - Day 3
Braden shared an amazing dinosaur book he got for Christmas. He was excited to show a picture of both T-Rex and Ankylosaurus with the class. Bella shared her Sock-a-Saurus named Sydney. The kit to make the 'dinosaur' was purchased at Jo-Ann Fabrics. Thanks for sharing Braden and Bella! :)
The junior paleontologists worked very carefully to measure ingredients (flour, salt, used coffee grounds, sand and water) for our Rock (dino egg) Geode recipe. Each student choose a dinosaur and carefully 'wrapped' the rock geode material around it until they had the desired shape. No two Rock Geodes look alike! Some look like eggs, while others look a bit more like dino poop (We also discussed Coprolites! :)
After snack time, students got the opportunity to groove to Dinosaur Stomp! an educational song with movement and lots of fun! We also took on a "Puzzle Challenge" --- 1 team assembled a Triceratops Puzzle while the other team worked on a prehistoric mural puzzle.
We painted our fossil dino bones and WOW! do they look awesome. The students tried very hard to make them look millions of years old with colors like white, yellow, brown, black (and a few have a touch of red). When the paint started to dry, it seemed to have a crackle effect, making the bones really look pre-historic. We can't wait to show them off at the Open House!
Show & Tell - Day 3
Braden shared an amazing dinosaur book he got for Christmas. He was excited to show a picture of both T-Rex and Ankylosaurus with the class. Bella shared her Sock-a-Saurus named Sydney. The kit to make the 'dinosaur' was purchased at Jo-Ann Fabrics. Thanks for sharing Braden and Bella! :)
Extended Day Plans - Thursday 6/18/15
Who: Dinosaurs! class + 2 chaperones ***wear camo SEEK shirts***
What: Field Trip
When: Thursday 6/18/15
Where: Science Museum of MN @ St. Paul
Timeline: Students meet at SEEK 8:30 (restroom break & load Field Trip bus @ 8:40)
Arrive @ SMM --- 9:45 --- Explore Dinosaur Gallery
11:30 --- Lunch (BRING BAG LUNCH)
12:00 --- Explore exhibits & check out gift shop (BRING $5-10 FOR SOUVENIR)
1:15 --- load bus for NBMS
2:20 --- arrive @ NBMS (restroom & reload buses & parent pick-up @2:30)
What: Field Trip
When: Thursday 6/18/15
Where: Science Museum of MN @ St. Paul
Timeline: Students meet at SEEK 8:30 (restroom break & load Field Trip bus @ 8:40)
Arrive @ SMM --- 9:45 --- Explore Dinosaur Gallery
11:30 --- Lunch (BRING BAG LUNCH)
12:00 --- Explore exhibits & check out gift shop (BRING $5-10 FOR SOUVENIR)
1:15 --- load bus for NBMS
2:20 --- arrive @ NBMS (restroom & reload buses & parent pick-up @2:30)
Day 4 - Diplodocus - Tues. 6/16/155
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It's Diplodocus Day at Dinosaurs! AmeriCorps member Chelsea McQuisten volunteered with our class today, and we really appreciated having her here! Today we learned about Dino Supertar #3 --- Diplodocus! Ask your child about the Diplodocus Rap (link attached) We learned their teeth are made for eating plants and trees, and they can grow to be 80-90 feet long (the length of an airplane or 2-3 buses). Using paper mache to finish covering our TP fossil bones proved to be a huge challenge. Kids had lots of glue to wash off their hands! We measured the length of dinosaurs using 12" paper strips. 30 ft. = Iguanadon, Stegosaurus, Triceratops. 40 ft. =T-Rex.
Dino Days #0 --- Alyssa, Biruk and Braden took smart guesses about the number 0. We learned that is the number of T-Rex eggs found to date. Egg Observation #4 --- The stegosaurus dinosaurs do not appear to be changing in size. They are still in the containers of water. Dino Experiment #3 --- The 4 dinosaurs seem to be growing larger, according to our ruler. The package predicts they will grow 600%. Today we played a different Predator & Prey with the Dissections & Smashing Science classes. The students could identify with the game since all dinosaurs were predator or prey millions of years ago. |
DAY 3 - TRICERATOPS - Mon. 6/15/15
Today our Dinosaur Superstar #2 was the famous herbivore Triceratops! We discovered its horns are 3 feet long and its skull was 10 feet in length! Students had fun measuring the two sizes using toilet paper squares. They discovered it takes 12 squares to measure 3 feet and 30 squares to make 10 feet. We were also amazed to learn that Triceratops had between 400 - 800 teeth and ate cycads, ferns, and other plants.
Egg Observation #3 --- We discovered that both Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops' eggs completely cracked open, and we identified both dinosaurs as a stegosaurus. Not one student had made that prediction! Most thought it would be a T-Rex :)
Dino Experiment #3 --- Each pod placed a small dino in a bowl of water. They identified the name of each dinosaur. We made predictions to see if the dinosaurs will glow in the dark AND grow 600% in 72 hours.
Dino Trivia --- What happened 65 million years ago? Melanie was correct with her guess that dinosaurs were extinct!
Show & Tell --- Day 2 --- Riley shared a small bottle of shells and sand from Florida. They remind her that prehistoric sharks lived millions of years ago. Thanks for sharing Riley!
Today we played a fun game called Predator & Prey with the Dissections & Smashing Science class. The students could identify with the game since the T-Rex was a predator & Triceratops could be prey.
Today we worked like a serious paleontologist 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. Tomorrow we will finish the paper mache layers around the bone.
Most students brought back their Field Trip Permission slips for Thursday! Thank you in advance :)
Egg Observation #3 --- We discovered that both Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops' eggs completely cracked open, and we identified both dinosaurs as a stegosaurus. Not one student had made that prediction! Most thought it would be a T-Rex :)
Dino Experiment #3 --- Each pod placed a small dino in a bowl of water. They identified the name of each dinosaur. We made predictions to see if the dinosaurs will glow in the dark AND grow 600% in 72 hours.
Dino Trivia --- What happened 65 million years ago? Melanie was correct with her guess that dinosaurs were extinct!
Show & Tell --- Day 2 --- Riley shared a small bottle of shells and sand from Florida. They remind her that prehistoric sharks lived millions of years ago. Thanks for sharing Riley!
Today we played a fun game called Predator & Prey with the Dissections & Smashing Science class. The students could identify with the game since the T-Rex was a predator & Triceratops could be prey.
Today we worked like a serious paleontologist 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. Tomorrow we will finish the paper mache layers around the bone.
Most students brought back their Field Trip Permission slips for Thursday! Thank you in advance :)
DAY 2 - T-Rex - Fri. 6/12/15
Dino Superstar #1 --- T-Rex Day! We started the day with a call and response using 3 words: T-Rex, Carni-vore, and Creta-ceous. Team T-Rex and Team Triceratops had a friendly competition to see who was loudest and most excited, and it seemed that Team Triceratops was just a wee bit louder! We watched two T-Rex videos and learned a lot of information, that a T-Rex had teeth up to 1.5ft in length. Noah A. helped us measure that length with a ruler!
Egg Observation #2 --- without looking in the 2 containers, the class made predictions about what will hatch. We discovered that Team Triceratops' egg had cracked and a head was beginning to poke through.
Dino Trivia --- How long did a T-Rex live? The class thought a T-Rex lived anywhere between 20 years to 70,000 million years! They learned that a T-Rex had a life span of 30 years. Jackson was the closest with his scientific guess of 20-30, and he won a dino silly band :)
Show & Tell --- Day 1 --- Henry shared a favorite dinosaur book he got for Christmas. Thank you for sharing your book called "Now you can read about...DINOSAURS" !
Since the T-Rex was considered to be "King of the Cretaceous", we decorated BK crowns with "fossil teeth", dino stickers, markers and bling to model at snack time. Riley decided to decorate her crown inside out!
Students put their (STINKY) shows (28 including mine) inside a 3.5ft T-Rex footprint. We discovered our shoes almost fill the footprint this time!
The class enjoyed eating meat (a.k.a. beef jerky) just like a T-Rex, with their hands behind their back. Some were talented at eating quickly and ferociously! Rachel looks quite happy! :)
While referring to a T-Rex fossil picture from the American Museum of Natural History, students created their own fossils using black paper, q-tips and glue. Wow, these students were thinking like a scientist while using their imagination and creativity!
Egg Observation #2 --- without looking in the 2 containers, the class made predictions about what will hatch. We discovered that Team Triceratops' egg had cracked and a head was beginning to poke through.
Dino Trivia --- How long did a T-Rex live? The class thought a T-Rex lived anywhere between 20 years to 70,000 million years! They learned that a T-Rex had a life span of 30 years. Jackson was the closest with his scientific guess of 20-30, and he won a dino silly band :)
Show & Tell --- Day 1 --- Henry shared a favorite dinosaur book he got for Christmas. Thank you for sharing your book called "Now you can read about...DINOSAURS" !
Since the T-Rex was considered to be "King of the Cretaceous", we decorated BK crowns with "fossil teeth", dino stickers, markers and bling to model at snack time. Riley decided to decorate her crown inside out!
Students put their (STINKY) shows (28 including mine) inside a 3.5ft T-Rex footprint. We discovered our shoes almost fill the footprint this time!
The class enjoyed eating meat (a.k.a. beef jerky) just like a T-Rex, with their hands behind their back. Some were talented at eating quickly and ferociously! Rachel looks quite happy! :)
While referring to a T-Rex fossil picture from the American Museum of Natural History, students created their own fossils using black paper, q-tips and glue. Wow, these students were thinking like a scientist while using their imagination and creativity!
Dinosaurs! class is pretty excited on Day 1 :)
Pod pairs observe and hatch a dino capsule
DAY 1 --- Thursday 6/11/15
I love my Dinosaurs! class. 9 boys and 5 girls had an amazing first day and met our class mascot Steggie, the Stegosaurus. We collected t-shirts and shoe boxes today. The class learned about "Dinos Invade Our World" and "Learn about Dinosaurs/Dinosaur Facts" . Students make their own prehistoric dinosaur teeth from white air-dry clay - a pointed tooth for a meet eater, or a flat tooth for a plant eater. The kids had fun creative writing and drawing about "My Pet Dinosaur". They have great imaginations! What fun to read the stories :)
Experiment #1 --- Dino Egg Observation --- Team T-Rex and Team Triceratops filled two separate containers half way with water and placed a dino egg in each one. We made predictions about which egg will hatch first. Tomorrow we'll see what happened to our eggs.
Experiment #2 --- Dino Capsules --- Students worked in pod pairs to predict what would happen when we dropped capsules in a cup of warm/hot water. As each capsule dissolved, a dinosaur began to hatch! We put on our 'scientist hat' to find out what dinosaur each student had. A few were very close to their prediction!
Dino Days Trivia ?'s --- What is the most famous dinosaur? AND How many teeth did it have? Most students guessed the T-Rex dinosaur. A T-Rex has 60 teeth, but a few students thought it had over 1,000!
***Students/parents: If you haven't, please have your student bring a shoe-box and white new/used t-shirt. We will start to make our Dino Diaramas next week***
I love my Dinosaurs! class. 9 boys and 5 girls had an amazing first day and met our class mascot Steggie, the Stegosaurus. We collected t-shirts and shoe boxes today. The class learned about "Dinos Invade Our World" and "Learn about Dinosaurs/Dinosaur Facts" . Students make their own prehistoric dinosaur teeth from white air-dry clay - a pointed tooth for a meet eater, or a flat tooth for a plant eater. The kids had fun creative writing and drawing about "My Pet Dinosaur". They have great imaginations! What fun to read the stories :)
Experiment #1 --- Dino Egg Observation --- Team T-Rex and Team Triceratops filled two separate containers half way with water and placed a dino egg in each one. We made predictions about which egg will hatch first. Tomorrow we'll see what happened to our eggs.
Experiment #2 --- Dino Capsules --- Students worked in pod pairs to predict what would happen when we dropped capsules in a cup of warm/hot water. As each capsule dissolved, a dinosaur began to hatch! We put on our 'scientist hat' to find out what dinosaur each student had. A few were very close to their prediction!
Dino Days Trivia ?'s --- What is the most famous dinosaur? AND How many teeth did it have? Most students guessed the T-Rex dinosaur. A T-Rex has 60 teeth, but a few students thought it had over 1,000!
***Students/parents: If you haven't, please have your student bring a shoe-box and white new/used t-shirt. We will start to make our Dino Diaramas next week***