Dinosaurs -- Preschool & Kindergarten

Dinosaurs

Starting A Theme... Make A List

1. Tell your children that you are going to be talking and learning about dinosaurs. 2. Ask them what they know about dinosaurs and make a list on a large sheet of paper. 3. Do the same on the last day; you will be surprised at how much they have learned. 4. Have the children draw a dinosaur, keep them and do the same on the last day of the unit. See how much their drawings have changed.

Lesson Long Ago

Big Ideas: Dinosaurs existed many years ago; we have found their bones. Zero is the number that tells how many dinosaurs exist today.

Learning Time Make statements about dinosaurs to which children answer yes or no.
Dinosaurs ate bushes. (yes)
Dinosaurs drove cars (no)
Some dinosaurs could fly (yes)
Dinosaurs lived in houses (no).

Fingerplays/Songs

Dinosaurs Lived A Long Time Ago

Dinosaurs lived a long time ago
Some walked (stomp in place) Some swam (pretend to swim) Some flew, you know! (flap arms at sides) Some were big (hands above head) Some were small (hold hands low) Some were gigantic (stretch arms out wide) And very, very, tall (stretch arms up high)

Tyrannosaurs Rex
tune: "Are You Sleeping?"

Mean and rude,
Mean and rude,
Short front legs,
With no one to play,
Don't mess with T-Rex
Don't mess with T-Rex
He'll eat you!
He'll eat you!
Contributed by: Roberta Taylor-Hill

Great big dinosaurs
Tune: Row Your Boat

Great big dinosaurs Lived so long ago. Some liked land, and some liked water. Some flew in the air

Great Big Dinosaurs lived so long ago. Some had horns, and some had spikes. Some had wings like bats

Great big dinosaurs lived so long ago. Some ate plants, and some ate meat. But now there are no more.

Dinosaur Dance

If you want to be a dinosaur, now's you're chance,
Cause everybody's doin' the dinosaur dance.
Just stomp your feet, move your arms around.
Stretch up, stretch up and now touch the ground.
And you're doin' the dinosaur dance, oh yeah!

You're doin' the dinosaur dance.
OOOOOOO AAAAAHHHH OOOOOOO AAAAAAHHHHH
OOOOOOO AAAAAHHHH OOOOOOO AAAAAAHHHHH
You're doin' the dinosaur dance, oh yeah.
You're doin' the dinosaur dance.

(Dance around and do appropriate movements to the rhythm of the dinosaur chant. During the oooooo's and aaaahhhh's, stretch up to the right and down to the left. Continue dancing until the end.)

Ten Dinosaurs(flannelboard)

(Start with one number higher than the number of children you have so everyone will have a turn to remove a dinosaur.)

Ten huge dinosaurs
Sleeping on a cave floor
Wake up and started to roar,(children roar)

"There's no room, no more, no more,
No more room on this floor!"
They tossed and turned and pushed galore,
(Move dinosaurs around cave)

Till one poor dinosaur was shoved out the door.
(have a child remove a dinosaur)
Four huge dinosaurs (three, two, etc)
(Continue down to 1 dinosaur)

Last verse:
One huge dinosaur
Sleeping all alone, on a cave floor,
Wake up and started to roar.
“I’m lonely, come back, it was better before,
It’s more fun, crowded together, on the floor.”
(children can put the dinosaurs back)

STOMP, STOMP, STOMP

The first big dinosaur went stomp, stomp, stomp
I said to the first dinosaur, "Stop, stop, stop!"
The second big dinosaur went run, run, run,
I said to the second dinosaur, "Fun, fun, fun!"

The third big dinosaur went thump, thump, thump.
I said to the third dinosaur, "Jump, jump, jump!"
The fourth big dinosaur went whack, whack, whack
I said to the fourth dinosaur, "You stay back!"
The fifth big dinosaur went creep, creep, creep.
I said to the fifth dinosaur, "It’s time to sleep!"

Art

Dinosaur in Eggs

Cut out dinosaur egg shapes from brown paper bags. Have the children sponge paint the egg shapes. Then cut out a white egg shape "inside" the same size as the paper dino egg shape and have the children color baby dinosaurs on it.

Hang the sponge painted egg shape with the "inside" picture of a dinosaur next to it on your bulletin board.

Dinosaur pictures that can be colored and used to create a mural.

Dinosaur Land

Use brown paper bags and make mountains. Just dampen the bags with water (very little), then crumble or squeeze and form mountains. Let the children paint the mountains. Use another bag for the land and make some trees to glue on the land. Put it all in a cardboard box for a foundation. Put dinosaurs in the box and have a brave dinosaur land. Can also make a volcano with the brown bags and paint. Use shoe boxes and make individual communities for the children.

Dinosaur Mural

Take mural paper and cut it into two dino shapes big enough to cover a large table. The first day lay out dino shaped sponges. For the next day lay out collage materials. On the third day marble paint small dinosaurs. When dried mount on a wall; the eggs follow the "parent dinos" walking along. The next day paint huge leaf shapes and add to your mural.

Dinosaur Eggs

Mini Book

One Friendly Dinosaur

Group Time

Dino-Pokey (same as Hokey Pokey)

claws in/claws out/scratch 'em all about/
feet in/feet out/stomp them all about
teeth in/teeth out/chomp them all about
tail in/tail out/wag it all about

Dino-Dino Were's Your Bone?
(played like Doggie doggie were is your bone)
need: a cut out shape of a bone

Play this game at cicle time all children are sitting
cross legged on the floor. One person is IT and hides
their eyes. The dinosaur bone is hidden under a child.
All children chant: Dino-Dino were's your bone? a
palentolgist took it home. It then quesses who is sitting
on the bone. take turns being It.
Contributed by: Patty Bass

Bone Outline

Learning Centers

Dinosaur Land

A wonderful addition to your science area. Display is based on the book "Patrick's Dinosaur" by Carol & Donald Carrick.

Set up a dinosaur park on the floor using sand and rubber dinosaurs. Children can help make a cave (a box covered with papier mâché), trees (toilet paper rolls) and pools of water (if you are brave enough).

Dinosaur Garden

Display is based on the book Dinosaur Garden by Liza Donnelly.

To make a terrarium: plant seeds in an aquarium; add rocks, miniature dinosaurs and a pool (using a small tin foil plate); cover the top with plastic; and watch a prehistoric jungle grow.

Dino Memory
Make a dinosaur memory game from dinosaur stickers put on juice can lids.

Dino Stompers
Purchase inexpensive oversized rubber boots. Spray the boots green and let the paint dry. Add red paint or stickers for toe nails.

Snacks

Dinosaur Dip

Ranch dressing with green food coloring. Cut up some fresh broccoli. Pretend you are a diplodocus munching on tree-tops as you dip the broccoli into the dip.

Recommended Books

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs

Lovely illustrations with a simple engaging story. At the back of the book is a glossary of dinosaurs with name and phonetic pronunciations underneath each picture.

Dinosaur Busy Book

A busy book of educational value, that’s presented in such a fun way with activities that keeps a child busy every day