Dinosaurs Teaching Theme

1. Patrick’s Dinosaurs by Carol Carrick

2. What Ever Happened to Patrick’s Dinosaurs? by Carol Carrick

3. What Ever Happened to the Dinosaurs? by Bernard Most

4. If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most

5. Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki

6. My Visit to the Dinosaurs by Aliki

7. Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

8. Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton

9. Curious George and the Dinosaur by Margret and H.A. Rey

10. Dinosaur Time by Peggy Parish

11. A Dozen Dinosaurs by Richard Armour

12. A First Look at Dinosaurs by Millicent Selsam and Joyce Hunt

13. Dinosaurs by Gail Gibbons

14. The Dinosaur Who Lived in My Backyard by B. G. Hennessy

15. Can I Have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please!? by Lois G. Grambling

16. Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton

17. Time Flies by Eric Rothman

18. Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland

19. Count-A-Saurus by Nancy Blumenthal

20. The Tyrannosaurus Game by Steven Kroll

21. Dinosaur Dream by Dennis Nolan

22. Dazzle the Dinosaur by Marcus Pfister

23. Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton

Poems and Songs

Tyrannosaurus Rex, My Dear

Tune: “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”
Repeat 3 times.

Tyrannosaurus rex, my dear,
(Show claws, then fold hands across chest.)

You cause such fear!
(Frightened look on face.)

When your sharp teeth you show,
(Point to bared teeth.)

I know it’s time to go!
(Quickly flutter hands away from body.)

Tyrannosaurus rex, my dear,
(Show claws, then fold hands across chest.)

Da-da-da-da-don’t eat me!
(Shake finger in front of body.)

PLEASE! (Last verse only.)
(Fold hands together in front as if to beg.)

All Around the Swamp

Tune: “The Wheels on the Bus”

Pteranodon’s wings went flap, flap, flap;
Flap, flap, flap; flap, flap, flap.
Pteranodon’s wings went flap, flap, flap,
All around the swamp.

Tyrannosaurus Rex went grrr, grrr, grrr;
Grrr, grrr, grrr; grrr, grrr, grrr.
Tyrannosaurus Rex went grrr, grrr, grrr,
All around the swamp.

Triceratops horns went poke, poke, poke;
Poke, poke, poke; poke, poke, poke.
Triceratops horns went poke, poke, poke,
All around the swamp.

Apatosaurus’ mouth went munch, munch, munch;
Munch, munch, munch; munch, munch, munch.
Apatosaurus’ mouth went munch, munch, munch,
All around the swamp.

Stegosaurus’ tail went spike, spike, spike;
Spike, spike, spike; spike, spike, spike.
Stegosaurus’ tail went spike, spike, spike,
All around the swamp.

Dinosaur Ditty

Tune: “Three Blind Mice”

Di-no-saurs! Di-no-saurs!
Lived long ago, lived long ago.

Some were little as chickens, you see.
Some were so very much bigger than me!

Oh, wouldn’t you like to be able to see di-no-saurs?

More Dino Poems

Dinosaur Pie & Dinosaur Stomp from The K Crew

Dinosaur Song

Tune: “Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee”

“I’m bringing home a baby dinosaur,
Won’t my mommy hide behind the door?
I’m bringing home a baby dinosaur.”

Stomp, stomp, stomp right through the door.

“I’m bringing home a baby dinosaur,
Won’t my Daddy fall down on the floor?
I’m bringing home a baby dinosaur.”

Stomp, stomp, stomp right through the door.

Literacy Activities

Student Book: “BIG!”

Adapted from Kim’s Class Books

Students each receive two simple dinosaur blackline drawings, preferably of a long-necked dinosaur such as a Brachiosaurus. One dinosaur should be larger than the other to emphasize the concept of “big.”

Students color both dinosaurs. They then cut apart the larger dinosaur and glue the appropriate body parts onto individual pages of their books, matching each part to the text.

Book Pages:

1. Big feet. Students glue on the dinosaur’s feet.
2. Big tail. Students glue on the tail.
3. Big neck. Students glue on the neck.
4. Big head. Students glue on the head.
5. Big body. Students glue on the body.
6. Big appetite. Students draw or glue a picture of a tree.
7. Little brain. Students glue a dried pea onto the page.
8. Big word! Students glue on the smaller dinosaur picture and stamp or cut out letter squares to spell D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R.

Making the Cover:

Use any color of construction paper for the cover. Possible titles include “Big Parts!”, “Big Things”, or simply “Big!”

Print the title on sentence strips for students to cut out and glue onto their covers. Students can decorate their books with dinosaur stamps, stickers, or dinosaur footprints.

Make a Reading Pointer:

Create a reading pointer by gluing a dinosaur sticker to one end of a craft stick.

Kim’s class books typically include a pocket glued to the inside back cover to store the pointer. Students use it to point to words as they reread their books.

Patterned Poem: If I Were a Dinosaur

Adapted from Mrs. Burns’ Site

Activity Instructions:

Read A Dinosaur Named After Me by Bernard Most.

After reading, show students pictures of different dinosaurs and compare their physical characteristics. Discuss how some dinosaurs walked on two legs while others walked on four, and how some had long necks, horns, spikes, or other distinctive features.

Have students create their own dinosaurs using Crayola Model Magic. Once their creations have dried, let students paint them with tempera paint.

Invite students to name their dinosaurs after themselves. For example, Mary might create a “Maryosaurus Rex,” while Ed might invent an “Edguanodon.”

Students can then write poems about their imaginary dinosaurs using the following pattern.

If I Were a Dinosaur

If I were a dinosaur,
A __________________ I would be.

I would eat __________________
And __________________ I would see.

But since I’m not a dinosaur,
I am happy to be me!

Science Activities

Making Fossils

Materials:

• Clay
• Pie pans
• Small plastic dinosaurs
• Buttons, keys, rocks, or shells
• Plaster of Paris

Instructions:

1. Spread clay approximately one inch thick in a pie pan.
2. Have students press small objects, such as toy dinosaurs, buttons, keys, rocks, or shells, into the clay to create impressions.
3. Carefully remove the objects from the clay.
4. An adult pours approximately one inch of prepared Plaster of Paris over the clay, allowing it to fill the impressions.
5. Once the plaster has completely hardened, remove it from the pie pan and separate it from the clay.
6. Have students match the original objects to the impressions in their fossils.

Safety Note: An adult should handle the Plaster of Paris, following the manufacturer’s safety instructions. Keep dry plaster dust away from children.

More Fossils: Homemade Fossil Dough

Makes approximately 6–8 fossils

Materials:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup salt
• 6 tablespoons dry brown tempera paint
• Small pie tins
• Small objects for making impressions

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, water, salt, and dry brown tempera paint together to create a mud-like dough.
2. Press the mixture into small pie tins and smooth the surface.
3. Have students press small objects into the dough to create impressions.
4. Carefully remove the objects, leaving their impressions behind.
5. Set the fossils aside to dry for several days.
6. Once dry, place the fossils and their matching objects in a learning center.

Challenge students to match each object to the impression it created.

Use nontoxic materials and supervise children when handling powdered paint.

Dinosaur Dig Center

Materials:

• Large tub or sensory bin filled with sand
• Clean, dried chicken wing bones
• Eggshells
• Small rocks and seashells
• Magnifying glasses
• Tweezers
• Small paintbrushes
• Pencils
• Writing paper

Preparation:

Bury the bones, eggshells, rocks, and seashells in the sand.

Instructions:

After reading books about dinosaurs, explain to students that they will become paleontologists and search for buried discoveries.

1. Demonstrate how to gently brush away sand using a small paintbrush.
2. Have students carefully uncover the buried objects.
3. Students use tweezers to remove their discoveries and brushes to dust them off.
4. Provide magnifying glasses so students can examine their finds more closely.
5. Encourage students to sort, classify, measure, or graph the objects they discover.

Writing Center Extension: “I Found…”

Create a worksheet with the sentence starter:

I found ____________________.

Students can record their discoveries by drawing pictures, writing words using invented spelling, or referring to picture-word cards provided by the teacher.

Combine students’ pages to create a class book titled Our Fossil Finds.

If students are rotating through centers, they can rebury their discoveries for the next group to uncover.

Safety Note: Use commercially prepared replica bones or sanitized, blunt specimens rather than fragile or sharp animal bones. Select objects large enough to avoid choking hazards.

Dinosaur Dig

Source: Dinosaurs Unit by The K Crew

Fill tubs with sand and bury pretend dinosaur bones. Invite students to explore the sand and uncover the hidden “fossils.”

Students can use brushes and other excavation tools to practice the careful techniques used by paleontologists.

Dinosaur Characteristics

Carnivores and Herbivores

Create a classroom chart comparing meat-eating (carnivorous) and plant-eating (herbivorous) dinosaurs.

Discuss and compare characteristics such as:

• Number of legs used for walking (two or four)
• Shape of the feet and claws
• Shape and size of teeth
• Presence of horns, bony plates, spikes, or other protective features
• Types of food eaten

Provide dinosaur models or pictures and have students classify them as carnivores or herbivores.

Encourage students to look for physical clues that may help them determine what each dinosaur ate.

Dinosaur Skeletons

Materials:

• Dinosaur skeleton pictures or blackline drawings
• Transparency sheets
• Dinosaur outline pictures

Preparation:

Find dinosaur skeleton illustrations and copy them onto transparency sheets.

Trace the outer shape of each dinosaur without including its bones. Cut out the dinosaur outlines.

Instructions:

Give students dinosaur outline pictures and matching skeleton transparencies.

Have students place the skeleton transparencies over the correct dinosaur outlines to see how the bones fit inside each dinosaur’s body.

This activity helps students explore skeletal structures while practicing visual matching skills.

Dinosaur Trading Cards

Source: Copycat Magazine, November/December 1993

Create dinosaur trading cards similar in size to baseball cards.

Each card features a picture of a dinosaur on the front and interesting facts about the dinosaur on the back.

Students can collect, trade, sort, and compare their dinosaur cards.

Dinosaur Card Storage Case

Create a special carrying case for the cards featuring a dinosaur face with an open mouth cutout. Students can store their trading cards inside the dinosaur-themed holder.

Extension Ideas:

Have students use their cards to compare dinosaur sizes, diets, and characteristics. They can also sort the cards into categories such as meat-eaters and plant-eaters.

Dinosaur Food

Create a dinosaur-themed snack using ingredients representing dirt, swamp water, crushed bones, and more.

Find the complete activity instructions at Dinosaurs Unit by The K Crew.

Dino Bones

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup dry milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Crushed graham crackers

Instructions:

1. Combine the peanut butter and dry milk in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the honey and mix well.
3. Divide the mixture into equal portions.
4. Shape each portion into a dinosaur bone.
5. Sprinkle the bones with crushed graham crackers.

Check for peanut and dairy allergies before preparing this snack.

Hatching Eggs

Ingredients and Materials:

• Green jelly beans
• Gummy dinosaurs
• Paper cupcake liners

Instructions:

1. Give each student a paper cupcake liner to represent a dinosaur nest.
2. Place several green jelly beans inside each nest to represent dinosaur eggs.
3. Add a gummy dinosaur on top of each nest, as though it is waiting for the eggs to hatch.

Choose age-appropriate treats, as jelly beans and gummy candies can present choking hazards for young children.

Dinosaur Dirt Digs

Ingredients and Materials:

• Instant chocolate pudding
• White chocolate chips
• Crushed chocolate cookies
• Clear plastic cups
• Spoons

Instructions:

1. Prepare the instant chocolate pudding according to the package directions.
2. Mix white chocolate chips into the pudding to represent buried dinosaur bones.
3. Spoon the pudding mixture into clear plastic cups.
4. Sprinkle crushed chocolate cookie crumbs over the top to create a layer of dirt.
5. Give each student a spoon to use as a pretend shovel.

Students can enjoy their dinosaur dirt digs as they excavate the hidden “bones” from their pudding.

Check for food allergies and use age-appropriate ingredients.

Fun Activities

Dinosaur Day

Plan a special Dinosaur Day with learning centers set up around the classroom.

Have students rotate through the centers to participate in different dinosaur-themed activities.

Suggested Dinosaur Day Centers:

Bone Bank

Students practice recognizing letters, words, or numbers written on paper dinosaur bones before depositing them into their Bone Banks.

See the Bone Bank activity in the Literacy section.

Dino Bingo Game

Create dinosaur-themed bingo cards featuring a dinosaur picture in the free space.

Students play bingo using the cards and markers.