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Dinosaur Science

If there is a theme that captures kids imagination whether they are boy or girl it’s Dinosaurs and for Storybook Summer 2015 we’re kicking off with the theme The Land before time exploring dinosaur books and bringing them alive with fun activities and crafts for kids. Today I welcome Carla from Preschool Powol Packets to share some science fun for the book Dinosaur A-Z: For kids who really love dinosaurs! [affiliate link] by Simon Mugford and Robert Priddy. Now over to Carla…

I am super excited to be joining the Story Book Summer series with an incredibly fun dinosaur book and science activity!  Not only does this experiment demonstrate some cool physical science, but it also uses large muscles, coordination, and problem solving!

Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages

Let’s start out with our storybook!  We have had a ton of fun this week with Dinosaur A-Z: For kids who really love dinosaurs! [affiliate link] by Simon Mugford.  It has a page for 26 dinosaurs (one for each letter of the alphabet) with fun facts about each highlighted dinosaur.  Each page also includes pronunciation instructions!  You can read it straight through (the text is perfect for preschoolers, but engaging for other ages), or focus on individual animals.

Looking for more Dinosaur books to read with toddlers and preschoolers – check out our Books for Mini Paleontologists.

This experiment is all about Euoplocephalus (pronounced YOU-oh-plo-SEF-ah-lus)!  Like Ankylosaurus, an adult Euoplocephalus had a huge “club” on the end of its tail.  This club was strong enough to break bones on a Tyrannosaurus!  We wanted to see how adding a big boney ball to the end of a tail could change how well it worked as a weapon.

Materials Needed

toy dinosaurs,
an 8-foot long piece of yarn,
and a ball (preferably with spikes!).

Sample pictures of just 3 of the printable dinosaur activities and games available on the rainy day mum printable store.
Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages

First we pulled out all the dinosaur toys and lined up the “meat-eaters” against Euoplocephalus.  This sorting activity engages preschoolers’ analytical and reasoning skills as they sort out which dinosaurs were carnivores and which were herbivores.  Alternatively, if you do not have a big pile of dinosaurs, you could make a block tower to represent your predators.

I explained that Euoplocephalus had a tail that was eight feet long, so we were going to use an 8-foot long piece of yarn to represent the tail.  Each kiddo took turns trying to defeat the “attacking” dinosaurs with the yarn.

Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages

It was not very successful.

We brainstormed ways that we could experiment with a swinging tail better.  The kids quickly realized that their tail was missing a club!  So we attached the bony club to the tail.

Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages

Everyone was excited to try knocking down the carnivores again!  It actually took them a little more effort than they expected, but each of the children (2-8 years old!) managed to save the Euoplocephalus!

Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages
More Great ideas for learning about and using dinosaurs to inspired learning, play, and crafts in our BIG list of Dinosaur Activities.
Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages

Check out their success in action:

 They loved swinging their giant tail into the meat-eating dinosaurs. They also loved swinging their giant tail throughout the house at anything they were allowed!

Of course, there were a few times when they did get a little tied up!

Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages

Throughout the day, they also brought toy dinosaurs back to the book to match up as many as they could

Fun Dinosaur Science for kids this summer, based on the book Dinosaur A to Z bringing alive children's storybooks for kids of all ages

Do your kiddos love dinosaurs?  Be sure to check out our

Be sure to check out our Fizzing Dinosaur EggsSalt Dough Dinosaur Coprolites, and our {FREE} Dinosaur Matching Activity Packet!

We absolutely love dinosaurs, and hope you have a blast trying out our dinosaur science experiment!  Enjoy the rest of the Story Book Summer!  And thanks again for having me over, Rainy Day Mum!

Happy Educating!!


Carla mug 1 2015

Carla is a science teacher turned homeschooling mom who blogs at Preschool Powol Packets.  She loves learning new things and exploring new places with her kiddos!

You can follow her and get more great ideas for young children on FacebookPinterestInstagram, and Twitter!


Author
Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.

3 Comments

  1. Thanks again for having me over! This is a fantastic series, and we loved participating in it!

  2. What a great way to make dinosaurs come alive! We love a good paleontology lesson here in our home. Thanks so much for sharing this creative idea with us.

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