Another scientific inquiry has sparked in the kindergarten room. DINOSAURS!!! After learning what a scientist does when we studied colour, we easily transitioned into being Paleontologists. We were very excited to start making discoveries using all all the different tools that a paleontologist might use. We looked for bones, dug them up, brushed them off and then tried to figure out what kind of dinosaur they might belong to.
We explored another dig site using our imaginations and problem solving skills. A 5x5 grid was made on the floor with tape. A black plastic bucket was placed upside down in each square. We imagined that the buckets were big hills. Each student had to choose two coordinates and then go "dig" in the correct square. We discovered, bones, rocks, leaves and sometime and empty square.
After digging up all those bones, we couldn't wait to discover more about each dinosaur.
Our dinosaur research started with Tyrannosaurus Rex. We learned that T-Rex had up to 60 long sharp teeth. One friend shared that a T-Rex tooth is as big as a banana! We wanted to know what 60 T-Rex teeth would look like. As a group, we counted the teeth out in groups of 5. (We practised making tally marks with the teeth.)
The next dinosaur we studied was Parasaurolophus. The first thing we noticed was the big crest on the top of his head. Palaeontologists have suggested that the crest may have been used to make a loud sound like a horn. We thought this was pretty cool and wondered if we could make sounds like a Parasaurolophus. We used three different lengths of tubes and attached a paper cone shape to the end. Then the fun and the hooting began!!
One of the most talked about and recognized dinosaur in our class is the long neck. We discovered that there are many different kinds of long necks or sauropods. All sauropods have the same body shape, long tail, long neck and 4 sturdy legs in common. We were challenged to work together and try to build a long neck to help create a dinosaur sculpture in our classroom.
We were given wooden stir sticks, pipe cleaners, straws, corrugated cardboard, poster paper construction paper, tape and big pieces of vinyl to create with. We got right to work and tried very hard to make sure everyone's ideas were being heard.
"We need to make the neck bones first."
"It needs to be longer so the long neck can get the leaves from the top of the tree."
"We are taping on skin (cellophane) over the bones."
"We need to make a strong base so it can stand up."
"More tape!"
"Should we cut the bone off? " "No, we need to get another piece of paper."
The Morning Class
The Afternoon Class
A great start to building our VERY big dinosaur sculpture!
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