Materials
yoga mats or beach towels
soft light lamp (with pink or blue light bulb)
wind chime
portable tape or CD player
relaxing music
indoor fountain with running water (optional)
eye pillows
small blankets
smooth river stones
Instructions
1. Create a dinosaur web. Print and circle the word "dinosaurs" in the middle of
a large piece of paper.
2. Ask the children to tell you everything they know about dinosaurs. Print their
responses around the word in the middle. Don't correct the children's
responses. The goal is to find out what their knowledge base is already.
Simply record their responses.
3. Draw lines from the word "dinosaurs" to the children's responses to create a
web. Date the web and post it in an easily seen place.
4. After a couple of weeks of learning about dinosaurs, create another dinosaur
web. Follow the same steps as before. You will notice that the children's
knowledge base has greatly increased and now is more fact-based than
fantasy-based. Post the new web near the old one. Make sure both are
accurately dated.
5. Ask the children to help you create a dinosaur world in the classroom.
Arrange the interest centers as follows:
Block Area
1. Add plastic dinosaurs to the block area.
2. Draw a rough circle on a piece of blue plastic. Cut out the circle and place it
on the floor to create a large pond.
3. Encourage the children to role play with the dinosaurs. You may have to
remind them that dinosaurs did more than just fight. They searched for food
and often lived in peaceful community groups.
Housekeeping Area
1. Add the stuffed dinosaurs to the housekeeping area.
2. Encourage the children to role play and care for the dinosaurs.
3. Ask questions such as, "Where are you and your baby dinosaur headed
today?" or "What are you feeding your dinosaur?"
4. Create a set of dinosaur feet from Styrofoam. Attach an elastic band to the
top of the feet so the children can slip them on. Let the children stomp
around the room! Encourage them to wear dinosaur Halloween outfits.
Science Area
1. Add a set of dinosaurs that are accurately scaled to size.
2. Challenge the children to sort the dinosaurs according to size or by the type
of food they ate.
3. Encourage them to use a balance scale to compare the weight of the
dinosaurs.
4. Encourage the children to use the materials in the science area (such as
magnifying lenses) to explore the dinosaurs.
Sensory Table
1. Put the small set of dinosaurs and sand in the sensory table. Add the plastic
palm trees and small rocks.
2. Encourage the children to role play with the dinosaurs. They can create
scenarios for the dinosaurs using the palm trees and rocks.
Library Area
1. Make a dinosaur book. Choose five or six familiar dinosaurs to be in the
book. Paste a picture of each one on the top third of a piece of craft paper.
Under the picture print several facts about the dinosaur that the children are
learning or already know. Read the book together.
2. Read factual books about dinosaurs to make sure the children learn accurate
facts about how the dinosaurs lived.
Art Area
1. Add the dinosaur and tree shaped sponge to the art area. Let the children
create dinosaur scenes with them.
2. Add sand to the tempera paint at the art easel for an interesting dinosaur
texture.
