DAY 11 --- Thursday, June 30 --- Open House DAY!
Tonight is Open House from 5-7pm at "SEEKasaurus!" We joined a few other SEEK classes to watch _Biomes_, performed by the Sing it, Act it, Shake it class. Our class was a fantastic audience, and we had fun watching this musical! We even got our picture taken with the cast!
T-Rex t-shirts --- Each student chose from 4 bright Tie Dye colors to "spritz" their T-Rex t-shirt. Since the weather was so cloudy, moved this project inside. Students created very unique designs, and after peeling off the contact paper at Open House, the T-Rex t-shirts were vivid and amazing!
The class will display their Dino Dioramas, Fossil Bones, Rock (dino egg) Geodes, Dino Tooth Necklaces, T-Rex t-shirts, Impression Fossil, Paleontologist Folder in the classroom/hallway at Open House tonight. Each student received a Junior Paleontologist booklet from the National Park Service in Colorado, a junior paloeontologist badge & a Project SEEK certificate! It was fantastic to meet parents and family members tonight! Thank you for coming out and enjoying this evening! I did miss seeing Braden O. and Emily!
DAY 10 --- Wednesday, June 28 --- Pachycephalosaurus DAY!
It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! Kiddos learned about the prehistoric "head-butter", Pachycephalosaurus! His skull was very thick, and we like his dome-head :) Each student received a paleontologist folder, complete with a new 'dino last name', and dino stamps, markers and stickers were used to create unique folders!
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' --- 13 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 2-4 digging tools and 2 brushes. Some learned the lesson of trying to work slowly, like a paleontologist, and a few pod pairs added water (or too much water, in some digs!) to soften the 'ground' and make the dig go more smoothly. Looks like 3-4 out of 7 fossil digs were fully assembled. Comments like "We found the first bone!" and "We found a weak spot!" made the dig more exciting! Great teamwork! The "Fossil Skeletons" will be on display tomorrow at Open House night.
Students are excited to show off all the hard work then have done as junior paleontologists in Dinosaurs!
Dino Trivia --- True or False --- Fossils have been found on every continent (even Antarctica!) Everyone was correct with their prediction of TRUE :) Kiddos enjoyed a Sour Gummi Crunchers --- these are basically a fossil dig in your mouth --- crunchy on the outside, gummy on the inside!
So much to do before Open House --- I look forward to meeting all parents, friends and family tomorrow night between 5 - 7pm. Come enjoy Dinosaur Museum, food, items for sale, and the Project SEEK slide show!
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' --- 13 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 2-4 digging tools and 2 brushes. Some learned the lesson of trying to work slowly, like a paleontologist, and a few pod pairs added water (or too much water, in some digs!) to soften the 'ground' and make the dig go more smoothly. Looks like 3-4 out of 7 fossil digs were fully assembled. Comments like "We found the first bone!" and "We found a weak spot!" made the dig more exciting! Great teamwork! The "Fossil Skeletons" will be on display tomorrow at Open House night.
Students are excited to show off all the hard work then have done as junior paleontologists in Dinosaurs!
Dino Trivia --- True or False --- Fossils have been found on every continent (even Antarctica!) Everyone was correct with their prediction of TRUE :) Kiddos enjoyed a Sour Gummi Crunchers --- these are basically a fossil dig in your mouth --- crunchy on the outside, gummy on the inside!
So much to do before Open House --- I look forward to meeting all parents, friends and family tomorrow night between 5 - 7pm. Come enjoy Dinosaur Museum, food, items for sale, and the Project SEEK slide show!
DAY 9 --- Tuesday, June 28 --- Stegosaurus DAY!
Dino Superstar #7 was Stegosaurus Day! We discovered 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. Four volunteers simulated the 4' spikes on the Stegosaurus tail! It was a challenge to decide how to stand as a group! :)
Dino Dioramas --- Day 3 ---Inspired by new ideas (eggs, nests, bones) and other materials, we added dinosaurs and put a lot of time into the scenery of our Dino Dioramas. This step is definitely taking some time! The dioramas are almost ready for display at OPEN HOUSE on Thursday from 5-7pm. After snack, our class joined 'Dissections' & 'Animal Adventures' classes for a short outside recess. We needed to run off some energy!
Dino Trivia --- How many dinosaurs have been found? Luciano predicted 270 & Brayden K. predicted 272 --- they were the closest to the actual scientific # 1,000! These top two winners picked out a prize! :)
Show & Tell --- Tasman shared his Ankylosaurus he purchased at Peterson's Mill. Everett shared his stuffed 'T-Rex', complete with a green fossil skeleton. He is positive it glows in the dark! Thanks for sharing Tasman & Everett! They did a great job taking questions from the audience! :)
Dino Dioramas --- Day 3 ---Inspired by new ideas (eggs, nests, bones) and other materials, we added dinosaurs and put a lot of time into the scenery of our Dino Dioramas. This step is definitely taking some time! The dioramas are almost ready for display at OPEN HOUSE on Thursday from 5-7pm. After snack, our class joined 'Dissections' & 'Animal Adventures' classes for a short outside recess. We needed to run off some energy!
Dino Trivia --- How many dinosaurs have been found? Luciano predicted 270 & Brayden K. predicted 272 --- they were the closest to the actual scientific # 1,000! These top two winners picked out a prize! :)
Show & Tell --- Tasman shared his Ankylosaurus he purchased at Peterson's Mill. Everett shared his stuffed 'T-Rex', complete with a green fossil skeleton. He is positive it glows in the dark! Thanks for sharing Tasman & Everett! They did a great job taking questions from the audience! :)
Dino Show & Tell --- Brayden K. shared his new T-Rex figuring that he bought the day after our Science Museum Field Trip. He really likes the texture of the dinosaur, along with the texture of its tongue and teeth. He plans to do a dino project at home with his T-Rex! Thanks for sharing Brayden K.! Tomorrow 2 more students will share :)
DAY 8 --- Monday, June 26 --- Velociraptor DAY!
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 each foot. We watched a few short educational videos and did a great job sharing 2 facts from our Dino-A-Day packet!
Dino Trivia --- How many dinosaurs have been discovered? Students took smart guesses, and we will find out who was closest tomorrow morning! :) We had predictions from 8 - 272!!
Impression Fossils --- After we talked about what an Impression Fossil is, each student
was asked to take a slice of air dry clay, press it into a pancake/disc shape & use different dinosaurs to make track or skin impressions.
A short recess after snack allowed us to try & run as fast as Velociraptor --- up to 40 mph, that is!!
Dino Dioramas - Day 2 --- Glue, colored paper and lots of imagination was used to begin creating the Mesozoic dinosaur backdrop in our shoe boxes. Tomorrow we will add lots of scenery, along with dinosaurs from the Cretaceous or Jurassic Period.
Dino Experiment #3 --- Team T-Rex and Team Triceratops were each given a container with their dinosaur on top. They had to work as a team to fill the container with water. Great job brainstorming & taking turns! Team T-Rex (Jaxon) made a prediction that the tree on their container will grow taller, while Team Triceratops (Everett) made a prediction that their dino (Triceratops) will change color. Let's see what happens overnight!
Dino Trivia --- How many dinosaurs have been discovered? Students took smart guesses, and we will find out who was closest tomorrow morning! :) We had predictions from 8 - 272!!
Impression Fossils --- After we talked about what an Impression Fossil is, each student
was asked to take a slice of air dry clay, press it into a pancake/disc shape & use different dinosaurs to make track or skin impressions.
A short recess after snack allowed us to try & run as fast as Velociraptor --- up to 40 mph, that is!!
Dino Dioramas - Day 2 --- Glue, colored paper and lots of imagination was used to begin creating the Mesozoic dinosaur backdrop in our shoe boxes. Tomorrow we will add lots of scenery, along with dinosaurs from the Cretaceous or Jurassic Period.
Dino Experiment #3 --- Team T-Rex and Team Triceratops were each given a container with their dinosaur on top. They had to work as a team to fill the container with water. Great job brainstorming & taking turns! Team T-Rex (Jaxon) made a prediction that the tree on their container will grow taller, while Team Triceratops (Everett) made a prediction that their dino (Triceratops) will change color. Let's see what happens overnight!
DAY 7 --- Friday, June 23 --- Fossil & X-Factor Dino DAY!
Today was Fossil Day! We learned the 4 steps of a paleontologist's "Dino Dig" with volunteers reading each step. If you ask your child, they should be able to tell you: 1. Dig it 2. Map it 3. Wrap it 4. Move it! I even sounds like a 'Dino Rap'! Students had the opportunity to do their 1st fossil dig named I 'Dig' Dinosaurs. Each student received 2 tools (toothpicks), and the ground with fossils (a.k.a. chocolate chip cookie). Each junior paleontologist needed to be very careful, and some kiddos discovered it was hard not to break the ground and/or the fossils. The most fossil chocolate chips discovered in one cookie? I believe one student found over 30 (perhaps an inflated number)! Each fossil was worth "$25", and our class raised a total of "$4,000" for our fossils. It was fun to do an edible dig!
We watched short videos about fossils, including Fossil Anthem Rock! Kids really seemed to enjoy this video, a parody of Party Anthem Rock!! :)
We learned about Dracorex, a 'dinosaur' with an X-Factor --- a 'velcro' skull used for headbutting. We 'met' Pete the Paleontologist and talked about his fossil dig tools. He looks a lot like Flat Stanley. Students decided he was missing a few items, so they will add additional tools and supplies on Monday. It will be interesting to see what students come up with.
A short recess helped us to get out some of our wiggles and jiggles today --- most of the class had lots of energy, needed a break and really needed to work hard to listen! :)
Dino Diorama - Day 1
We painted the outside of our shoe boxes black. On Monday & Tuesday we will add scenery and dinosaurs to complete the dioramas for Open House night!
We watched short videos about fossils, including Fossil Anthem Rock! Kids really seemed to enjoy this video, a parody of Party Anthem Rock!! :)
We learned about Dracorex, a 'dinosaur' with an X-Factor --- a 'velcro' skull used for headbutting. We 'met' Pete the Paleontologist and talked about his fossil dig tools. He looks a lot like Flat Stanley. Students decided he was missing a few items, so they will add additional tools and supplies on Monday. It will be interesting to see what students come up with.
A short recess helped us to get out some of our wiggles and jiggles today --- most of the class had lots of energy, needed a break and really needed to work hard to listen! :)
Dino Diorama - Day 1
We painted the outside of our shoe boxes black. On Monday & Tuesday we will add scenery and dinosaurs to complete the dioramas for Open House night!
DAY 6 --- Thursday, June 23 --- Field Trip DAY!
For our extended SEEK day, we traveled millions of years back in time to the Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery at the Science Museum of MN! Students received a Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt & spent quality time finding dinosaur fossils, counting Triceratops toes & Stegosaurus plates, just to name a few. A SMM staff person took a few minutes to explain & show us what some cast fossil dino teeth and claws looked like.
Kiddos were quite photogenic next to educational exhibits at the museum! Discovered we have a talented piano player, a movie maker, a few sprinters, parachute makers and balancing acts :)
At lunch, we learned about separating our garbage for some serious recycling.
Some kiddos raced T-Rex (spoiler alert: they didn't win!) in the Sportsology "Born to run" exhibit; we discovered that T-Rex ran the race in 2.04 seconds with 3 gigantic steps! At the end of our day, we checked out dino and other cool souvenirs at the Explore Store! A big "THANK YOU!" to the 3 chaperones who enjoyed our field trip with us! They did a fantastic job of helping to keep track of 13 excited students.
Each group had such a unique museum adventure! Check out our Field Trip slideshow tomorrow :) Flappy Bird Uncovered & How it Works: Your Body classes also joined us at the SMM.
DAY 5 --- Wednesday, June 21 ---AnKyLoSAURUS DAY (Dino Superstar #4)
It was a busy day in Dinosaurs! Our Dino Superstar #4 was Ankylosaurus - we discovered this dinosaur wore heavy armor all over his body, including his eyelids. Its tail was an explosive club, and some students chose to walk to snack pretending they had its eyelids or its tail!
Students finished their 'Rip Dinos' using scraps of colored paper --- and we bent the rules to allow a little coloring with markers! Creativity led to adding scenery to their unique dino picture, and a few students extended their design beyond the paper!
After snack, we took a few minutes to move our bodies to the Dinosaur Stomp by Koo Koo Kangaroo! It gets a little tricky to sit on a science stool sometimes! Students learned about 4 vocabulary words: 1. Museum 2. Fossil 3. Theory 4. Coprolite (aka 'dino' poop). They also had the opportunity to touch a real piece of Coprolite & thought it had a strange texture!! :) We talked about our Field Trip tomorrow! What an exciting day we'll have :)
Dino Geodes/Eggs: Members of Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops took turns measuring and mixing ingredients to make our Dino Geode/Egg mixture. Students carefully molded/shaped the mixture around small dinosaurs. When they dry, students can excavate the dinos at home with tools and parent permission! :) We can't wait to show them off at Open House next week.
Thinking like jr. paleontologists, students assembled a Triceratops & large Dinosaur puzzles in teams and other students attempted to assemble fossil skeletons of T-Rex and Stegosaurus!
Dino Trivia #3 - "How many T-Rex eggs have been found?" The answer will be revealed on Friday!
Dino Show & Tell --- Beckett & Braden O. are scheduled for Friday! :)
FIELD TRIP INFO! ***We have 3 CONFIRMED chaperones! :)
Dear Parent(s)/Guardians,
Thursday (June 22) is our extended day --- Dinosaurs! will visit the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Our schedule:
8:30 a.m. Arrive at Project SEEK (bus or parent drop off)
8:30 - 8:40 Restroom + expectations + load buses
8:40 - 9:30 Bus ride to Science Museum
9:30 – 11:00 Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery (Level 3) --- Scavenger Hunt
11:00 – 11:30 Lunch (Level 2)
11:30 – 12:45 Explore museum exhibits (Levels 3, 4, and/or 5)
12:45 - 1:10 Gift Shop (Level 5) + Restroom
1:15 Load bus
1:15 – 2:20 Bus ride to NB Middle School/SEEK + restrooms
2:30 p.m. Reload buses/parent pick up
***Please have students***
1. Wear comfortable shoes & Project SEEK t-shirt (or green t-shirt)
2. Bring a bag lunch + $5-10 for gift shop
3. fyi --- Backpacks are not allowed in exhibit galleries
If you have further questions --- text is best!
Melanie Hedberg --- Dinosaurs! Instructor --- 612.845.0972
Dear Parent(s)/Guardians,
Thursday (June 22) is our extended day --- Dinosaurs! will visit the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Our schedule:
8:30 a.m. Arrive at Project SEEK (bus or parent drop off)
8:30 - 8:40 Restroom + expectations + load buses
8:40 - 9:30 Bus ride to Science Museum
9:30 – 11:00 Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery (Level 3) --- Scavenger Hunt
11:00 – 11:30 Lunch (Level 2)
11:30 – 12:45 Explore museum exhibits (Levels 3, 4, and/or 5)
12:45 - 1:10 Gift Shop (Level 5) + Restroom
1:15 Load bus
1:15 – 2:20 Bus ride to NB Middle School/SEEK + restrooms
2:30 p.m. Reload buses/parent pick up
***Please have students***
1. Wear comfortable shoes & Project SEEK t-shirt (or green t-shirt)
2. Bring a bag lunch + $5-10 for gift shop
3. fyi --- Backpacks are not allowed in exhibit galleries
If you have further questions --- text is best!
Melanie Hedberg --- Dinosaurs! Instructor --- 612.845.0972
DAY 4 --- Tuesday, June 20 ---Diplodocus DAY (Dino Superstar #3)
Dino Show & Tell --- Day 1
Jaxon brought an amazing pop-up Dinosaur book. He shared with the class that his book was a gift and showed us several pages of dinosaurs with amazing color and 3D effect. Natalie shared a Dinosaur book also, and took questions from the audience. Thanks for sharing Jaxon & Natalie!
It's Diplodocus Day at Dinosaurs! Today we learned about Dino Superstar #3 --- Diplodocus! We learned their teeth are made for eating plants and trees (conifers), and their nickname is
"the stripper". They can grow to be 80-90 feet long (the length of an airplane or 2-3 buses) and have a tail that can really whip. We learned the 3 Periods of the Mesozoic Era, the reign of the dinosaurs! Volunteers each held one, and we problem-solved the correct order: 1. Triassic, 2. Jurassic, 3. Cretaceous! We also brainstormed words that can help us remember this acronym T.J.C. --- students were creative coming up with these words...a few examples are: Two, Tom, Jerry, Juice, Cartoon & Cupcake! (Smart! Tom Jerry Cartoon :)
Each student received 1 brown chenille stem and was asked to create a diplodocus in two minutes. They discovered that 1 stick was not enough to make this dinosaur, so they received a 2nd green chenille stem & two additional minutes. A 3rd green stem was then given to each student, and a final 2 minutes was added to create their final "skin" diplodocus. Just like a paleontologist doesn't always have all the tools he needs at 1st when discovering dinosaurs, we learned how to adapt. Great designs --- one diplodocus even has a baby!
Before snack, we measured the length of dinos by laying down a pattern of 1 ft. paper strips on the floor. 30 ft. = Iguanodon, Stegosaurus, Triceratops. 40 ft. = T-Rex! Taking turns, the class laid next to the paper strips, and we discovered that 13 people measure approx. 45-50ft., more than the length of T-Rex!
After snack, we joined Dissections, Disney Decoded & Animal Adventures to play a game called Habitat. "Prey" took turns running to find habitat using space, shelter, food and water symbols, trying not to get tagged by the "predators" along the way. Great time to learn & make friends!
Students got creative as they started an art project called "Rip Dinosaur". Each student got a goldenrod/yellow piece of paper and several colored paper scraps, glue stick and pencil. Only using their hands to rip shapes, they began to create a unique dinosaur. Brayden K and Emily even asked to do research from the Dino Library, taking a book to study dinosaur shapes.
Dino Trivia #3 - "How many T-Rex eggs have been found?" Students made interesting predictions, and we will find out the answer tomorrow!
Jaxon brought an amazing pop-up Dinosaur book. He shared with the class that his book was a gift and showed us several pages of dinosaurs with amazing color and 3D effect. Natalie shared a Dinosaur book also, and took questions from the audience. Thanks for sharing Jaxon & Natalie!
It's Diplodocus Day at Dinosaurs! Today we learned about Dino Superstar #3 --- Diplodocus! We learned their teeth are made for eating plants and trees (conifers), and their nickname is
"the stripper". They can grow to be 80-90 feet long (the length of an airplane or 2-3 buses) and have a tail that can really whip. We learned the 3 Periods of the Mesozoic Era, the reign of the dinosaurs! Volunteers each held one, and we problem-solved the correct order: 1. Triassic, 2. Jurassic, 3. Cretaceous! We also brainstormed words that can help us remember this acronym T.J.C. --- students were creative coming up with these words...a few examples are: Two, Tom, Jerry, Juice, Cartoon & Cupcake! (Smart! Tom Jerry Cartoon :)
Each student received 1 brown chenille stem and was asked to create a diplodocus in two minutes. They discovered that 1 stick was not enough to make this dinosaur, so they received a 2nd green chenille stem & two additional minutes. A 3rd green stem was then given to each student, and a final 2 minutes was added to create their final "skin" diplodocus. Just like a paleontologist doesn't always have all the tools he needs at 1st when discovering dinosaurs, we learned how to adapt. Great designs --- one diplodocus even has a baby!
Before snack, we measured the length of dinos by laying down a pattern of 1 ft. paper strips on the floor. 30 ft. = Iguanodon, Stegosaurus, Triceratops. 40 ft. = T-Rex! Taking turns, the class laid next to the paper strips, and we discovered that 13 people measure approx. 45-50ft., more than the length of T-Rex!
After snack, we joined Dissections, Disney Decoded & Animal Adventures to play a game called Habitat. "Prey" took turns running to find habitat using space, shelter, food and water symbols, trying not to get tagged by the "predators" along the way. Great time to learn & make friends!
Students got creative as they started an art project called "Rip Dinosaur". Each student got a goldenrod/yellow piece of paper and several colored paper scraps, glue stick and pencil. Only using their hands to rip shapes, they began to create a unique dinosaur. Brayden K and Emily even asked to do research from the Dino Library, taking a book to study dinosaur shapes.
Dino Trivia #3 - "How many T-Rex eggs have been found?" Students made interesting predictions, and we will find out the answer tomorrow!
DAY 3 --- Monday, June 19 ---Triceratops DAY (Dino Superstar #2)
We began Day 3 by making another prediction (smart guess) about the famous T-Rex.
Dino Trivia #2 --- "How many years did T-Rex live?" Most of our class thought T-Rex lived hundreds or even millions of years. We were surprised to learn that T-Rex only lived to the age of 30. Two boys made the closest predictions with 45 & 50 years and won a prize!
While referring to a T-Rex fossil skeleton (picture) from the American Museum of Natural History, junior paleontologists created their own T-Rex or other dino fossil using 25+ q-tips, glue and black paper. Wow, these students were thinking like scientists, using imagination and creativity! They discovered how to bend & cut Q-Tips to make different shapes. We can't wait to show off these dino fossils @ Open House Night!
Today Dino Superstar #2 was the ever-popular Triceratops! We learned its horns were 3 ft. long & its skull was an amazing 10 ft long! 2 volunteers from Team T-Rex & 2 from Team Triceratops helped measure the length in toilet paper squares; 3 TP squares = 1 ft --- so, using mental math, we knew 9 TP squares = 3 ft & 30 TP squares = 10 ft. Great math skills! We learned that Triceratops lived during the Cretaceous Period, the same time as T-Rex, over 65 million years ago! They were plant eaters (herbivores) & ate ferns and cycads.
Kiddos took a vote on who they thought would win a Triceratops vs. T-Rex fight, & after watching our video clip of a 'skeleton fight', discovered Triceratops voters (6) were the winners! (this time :) Based on the anatomy we learned about the Triceratops, students were asked to find them from the dinosaur display of "Skins" & set them on the display pad. There was some debate over horns and frills.
After snack, we worked like serious paleontologists on another fossil project. This time students tried to create a fossil bone from a Triceratops using 10 cotton balls, glue & black paper. They were encouraged to draw the bone shape 1st with a white crayon/pencil and to pull & stretch the cotton balls to create a 3D effect. A few students really caught on to this idea --- Adam discovered you can actually unroll a cotton ball! :) No two Fossil Bones look alike.
Tomorrow we plan to have Day 1 of Prehistoric/Dino Show-n-Tell: 2 students can each share a dinosaur-related object from home for 2 minutes & take 2 questions from the 'audience'!
Dino Trivia #2 --- "How many years did T-Rex live?" Most of our class thought T-Rex lived hundreds or even millions of years. We were surprised to learn that T-Rex only lived to the age of 30. Two boys made the closest predictions with 45 & 50 years and won a prize!
While referring to a T-Rex fossil skeleton (picture) from the American Museum of Natural History, junior paleontologists created their own T-Rex or other dino fossil using 25+ q-tips, glue and black paper. Wow, these students were thinking like scientists, using imagination and creativity! They discovered how to bend & cut Q-Tips to make different shapes. We can't wait to show off these dino fossils @ Open House Night!
Today Dino Superstar #2 was the ever-popular Triceratops! We learned its horns were 3 ft. long & its skull was an amazing 10 ft long! 2 volunteers from Team T-Rex & 2 from Team Triceratops helped measure the length in toilet paper squares; 3 TP squares = 1 ft --- so, using mental math, we knew 9 TP squares = 3 ft & 30 TP squares = 10 ft. Great math skills! We learned that Triceratops lived during the Cretaceous Period, the same time as T-Rex, over 65 million years ago! They were plant eaters (herbivores) & ate ferns and cycads.
Kiddos took a vote on who they thought would win a Triceratops vs. T-Rex fight, & after watching our video clip of a 'skeleton fight', discovered Triceratops voters (6) were the winners! (this time :) Based on the anatomy we learned about the Triceratops, students were asked to find them from the dinosaur display of "Skins" & set them on the display pad. There was some debate over horns and frills.
After snack, we worked like serious paleontologists on another fossil project. This time students tried to create a fossil bone from a Triceratops using 10 cotton balls, glue & black paper. They were encouraged to draw the bone shape 1st with a white crayon/pencil and to pull & stretch the cotton balls to create a 3D effect. A few students really caught on to this idea --- Adam discovered you can actually unroll a cotton ball! :) No two Fossil Bones look alike.
Tomorrow we plan to have Day 1 of Prehistoric/Dino Show-n-Tell: 2 students can each share a dinosaur-related object from home for 2 minutes & take 2 questions from the 'audience'!
DAy 2 ---FRIDAy, June 16 ---T-Rex DAy (Dino Super Star #1)
Since T-Rex was King of the Cretaceous, these budding Jr. Paleontologists sported their
T-Rex crowns, fierce teeth & claws!
T-Rex crowns, fierce teeth & claws!
It was T-Rex Day @ Dinosaurs! An energetic Call & Response between Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops began our day: "T/Rex" & "Creta/tious"!! Team Triceratops was a bit more energetic at 1st :) Some pod pairs discovered their Dino Experiment was successful overnight while others discovered only a 1/2 dissolved capsule. Students took turns identifying their "Dino Discoveries" to see if their prediction matched the actual dinosaur.
After watching a short teaching video and having a brief discussion about different kinds of dinosaur fossil teeth in Washington D.C., we got right to work making our own "Dino Fossil Tooth necklace" using white Model Magic. Students chose to make either a pointed tooth (meat eater/carnivore) or a flatter, short tooth (plant eater/herbivore). After a few minutes of shaping a unique tooth, a few students decided to add sand to create texture. A hole was made with a straw, and when the teeth dry, a string will complete the Dino Fossil Tooth necklace. Look for these on display @ Open House Night!
After watching 2 short teaching videos about T-Rex, students each wrote 2 facts they learned in their Dino-A-Day packet. Two students were also then chosen to share their answers with the class. Great attentiveness to T-Rex detail! We also played a Word Play game to compare T-Rex to familiar items: bigger than, smaller than.
Our T-Rex Footprint activity included putting 28 (stinky) shoes inside a 3 1/2 ft. "fossil" footprint. We discovered their was still room for more shoes!!
Because T-Rex was considered the King of the Cretaceous, students each designed their very own crown (compliments of BK) :) Since there is evidence that T-Rex had feathers, students could add colorful feathers, as well as T-Rex meat-eating teeth, bling stones, 4 colors of glitter, and write with a marker to personalize their crown. As a class, we wore our crowns to snack and took a group photo with our fiercest faces, tiny arms and T-Rex claws.
Eating like T-Rex was a hi-light of our day!! Team T-Rex faced off against Team Triceratops to see who could be the most ferocious while eating "scavenged" beef jerky with hands behind their back. Students could only use their head, mouth and teeth...and the competition was fierce!! All but one student took on this challenge! :)
Today a Field Trip permission/chaperone interest/$10 due for our Field Trip next Thursday went home. Please make sure to sign, attach $10 (bus/museum fee) and sent to Project SEEK with your child on MONDAY!!
Almost every student has brought in a shoebox and a t-shirt --- I am very impressed!! Tune in this weekend when you will find photos of our exciting time at Dinosaurs!! :)
After watching a short teaching video and having a brief discussion about different kinds of dinosaur fossil teeth in Washington D.C., we got right to work making our own "Dino Fossil Tooth necklace" using white Model Magic. Students chose to make either a pointed tooth (meat eater/carnivore) or a flatter, short tooth (plant eater/herbivore). After a few minutes of shaping a unique tooth, a few students decided to add sand to create texture. A hole was made with a straw, and when the teeth dry, a string will complete the Dino Fossil Tooth necklace. Look for these on display @ Open House Night!
After watching 2 short teaching videos about T-Rex, students each wrote 2 facts they learned in their Dino-A-Day packet. Two students were also then chosen to share their answers with the class. Great attentiveness to T-Rex detail! We also played a Word Play game to compare T-Rex to familiar items: bigger than, smaller than.
Our T-Rex Footprint activity included putting 28 (stinky) shoes inside a 3 1/2 ft. "fossil" footprint. We discovered their was still room for more shoes!!
Because T-Rex was considered the King of the Cretaceous, students each designed their very own crown (compliments of BK) :) Since there is evidence that T-Rex had feathers, students could add colorful feathers, as well as T-Rex meat-eating teeth, bling stones, 4 colors of glitter, and write with a marker to personalize their crown. As a class, we wore our crowns to snack and took a group photo with our fiercest faces, tiny arms and T-Rex claws.
Eating like T-Rex was a hi-light of our day!! Team T-Rex faced off against Team Triceratops to see who could be the most ferocious while eating "scavenged" beef jerky with hands behind their back. Students could only use their head, mouth and teeth...and the competition was fierce!! All but one student took on this challenge! :)
Today a Field Trip permission/chaperone interest/$10 due for our Field Trip next Thursday went home. Please make sure to sign, attach $10 (bus/museum fee) and sent to Project SEEK with your child on MONDAY!!
Almost every student has brought in a shoebox and a t-shirt --- I am very impressed!! Tune in this weekend when you will find photos of our exciting time at Dinosaurs!! :)
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Day 1 --- Thursday, June 15 --- FoSSIL Tooth Day |
What an exciting 1st day in Dinosaurs!! 13 jr. paleontologists put on their scientific smart brain to learn "What is a Dinosaur?" Students met our class mascot "Steggie" and playing a "M & M Get to Know You Game" helped us get to know each other better! Students also helped create a list of class expectations. The game "Yes or No - Vote With Your Body" gave our class great feedback about dinosaurs: could they swim, did they have feathers and did they live in MN? The majority of the class voted YES to each question, and according to scientific research, they were correct! :)
Majority vote agreed that T-Rex was the most famous dinosaur, and the closest "smart guess" to the number of teeth a T-Rex had was 60 --- exactly correct!! We took a few minutes and make a list of "Dinos I Know"; it was interesting to see that even flamingos and geese made the list?! Creative Writing inspired the class to write about "My Pet Dino" --- we can't wait to show you our stories & pictures on Open House Night!
Short videos taught us the characteristics of dinosaurs and the different kinds of teeth they had. Our Fossil Tooth necklace project will take place on Day 2 --- we will learn even more about dino fossil teeth on Friday.
Dino Experiment #1 --- Pod partners shared their predictions about what dinosaur would appear when their Dino Capsule dissolved, but we soon discovered we didn't have hot water in our science room! Students even tried the faucets in the restrooms! We will discover if our experiment was successful in cool water in the morning. Kids used a very new 'scientific technique'...blowing their own 'hot air' in the cups of water trying to heat the water!!
Friday is Dino Superstar #1 --- T-Rex Day @ Dinosaurs! Look for a Field Trip permission slip --- Our Field Trip/Extended Day is scheduled for the Science Museum of MN (SMM) on Thursday, June 22!
Majority vote agreed that T-Rex was the most famous dinosaur, and the closest "smart guess" to the number of teeth a T-Rex had was 60 --- exactly correct!! We took a few minutes and make a list of "Dinos I Know"; it was interesting to see that even flamingos and geese made the list?! Creative Writing inspired the class to write about "My Pet Dino" --- we can't wait to show you our stories & pictures on Open House Night!
Short videos taught us the characteristics of dinosaurs and the different kinds of teeth they had. Our Fossil Tooth necklace project will take place on Day 2 --- we will learn even more about dino fossil teeth on Friday.
Dino Experiment #1 --- Pod partners shared their predictions about what dinosaur would appear when their Dino Capsule dissolved, but we soon discovered we didn't have hot water in our science room! Students even tried the faucets in the restrooms! We will discover if our experiment was successful in cool water in the morning. Kids used a very new 'scientific technique'...blowing their own 'hot air' in the cups of water trying to heat the water!!
Friday is Dino Superstar #1 --- T-Rex Day @ Dinosaurs! Look for a Field Trip permission slip --- Our Field Trip/Extended Day is scheduled for the Science Museum of MN (SMM) on Thursday, June 22!
DINOSAURS! Tomorrow (Thursday, June 15) is Day 1 of Dinosaurs! at Project SEEK! I look forward to meeting all my jr. paleontologists. On Day 1, we will study dino fossil teeth and discover "What is a Dinosaur?"