Experiential Literacy Kit
PROMESA Even Start Program
Geneseo Migrant Center
3 Mt. Morris Leicester Road
Leicester, NY 14481
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Table of Contents
-2-
Song: Giant Dinosaurs jumping All Around
-3-
Parent Education Lesson: Dinosaur Play
How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?
-4-
Early Childhood Lesson: Dinosaur Play
¿Como Van A La Escuela Los Dinosaurios?
by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
-5-
Interactive Literacy Activity: Dinosaur Play
-6-
Parent Education Lesson: Read-o-saurus
-7-
Early Childhood Lesson: Read-o-saurus
-8-
Interactive Literacy Activity: Read-o-saurus
-9-
Parent Education Lesson: Tri-SORT-atops
-10-
Early Childhood Lesson: Tri-SORT-atops
-11-
Interactive Literacy Activity: Tri-SORT-atops
-12-
Parent Education Lesson: You know you’re a fossil if . . .
-13-
Early Childhood Lesson: You know you’re a fossil if . . .
-14-
Interactive Literacy Activity: You know you’re a fossil if . . .
-15-
Appendix 1: Glossary
-16-
Appendix 2: Internet Resources
-17-
Appendix 3: Bibliography of Research
-18-
Appendix 4: Dinosaur Card Patterns
Books Included
Supplies Included
 Dinosaur playing cards
 Dinosaur Identification Cards  Fossil molds
I Wonder Why Triceratops Had Horns
and other questions about dinosaurs
by Rod Theodorou
The activities included in Dinomania!
have been developed for use with
children ages 3-8 and their parents. If
using the kit with children under 3
years old remember to adjust the
activities to meet the child's age level!
 Construction paper
 Manila folder
 Dinosaur Journals
 Plaster of Paris
 Poster paper
 Dino egg balloons
 Mixing bowl
 Dinosaur mazes
 Tempera paint
 Mixing sticks
 Dinosaur drawing patterns
 Paint brushes
 Flour
 Dinosaur puppet pattern
 Dinosaur play set
 Fossil rock
 Yarn and fossil scrap paper
Page 1
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Giant Dinosaurs Jumping All Around
 Sing or chant to the
tune or rhythm of Ten
Little Monkeys.
 Perform the actions
suggested:
6
Six giant dinosaurs jumping all around,
Up, up, up and down, down, down.
Brachiosaurus bumped his head.
Momma dinosaur said, “Go to bed!”
Jump
Stretch up
Bend down
Touch your head
Shake your finger
as Momma says,
“Go to bed!”
 Shout the last line!
Teaches:
 Dinosaur names
5
Brachiosaurus go to bed!
Five giant dinosaurs jumping all around,
Up, up, up and down, down, down.
Tyrannosaurus bumped her head.
Momma dinosaur said, “Go to bed!”
Tyrannosaurus go to bed!
4
Four giant dinosaurs jumping all around,
Up, up, up and down, down, down.
Triceratops bumped his head.
Momma dinosaur said, “Go to bed!”
Triceratops go to bed!
3
 Vocabulary:
Jumping
Giant
 Spatial Concepts:
Up and down
 Math Concepts:
Counting backward
Subtraction
Concept of zero
Strategies
 Begin home visits
with the song.
 Introduce one or two
dinosaurs the first
week and add a new
dinosaur each visit.
 Coordinate dinosaur
names in the song
with Dinosaur Identification Cards and
Giant Dinosaurs to
color.
Three giant dinosaurs jumping all around,
Up, up, up and down, down, down.
Deinonychus bumped his head,
Momma dinosaur said, “Go to bed!”
2
Deinonychus go to bed!
Two giant dinosaurs jumping all around,
Up, up, up and down, down, down.
Corythosaurus bumped her head.
Momma dinosaur said, “Go to bed!”
Corythosaurus go to bed!
1
One giant dinosaur jumping all around,
Up, up, up and down, down, down.
Stegosaurus bumped his head.
Momma dinosaur said, “Go to bed!”
0
No more dinosaurs jumping all around,
Not up, up, up or down, down, down.
Momma dinosaur smiled and said,
“Time for dinosaurs to get out of bed.”
Brachiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops,
Deinonychus, Corythosaurus, Stegosaurus
“Get out of bed!”
Page 2
Stegosaurus go to bed!
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 1- Parent Education Lesson: Dinosaur Play
Over the next few weeks we will:
 Read and talk about dinosaurs
 Play dinosaur games.
It’s important!
time to have fun together.
 It helps children understand
their world.
 It makes learning enjoyable.
 It is fundamental for chil-
dren’s mental growth.
 It enhances children’s lan-
guage skills.
 It is the beginning of literacy
development (symbolic play).
(Piaget, 1962; Vygotsky, 1978; Zigler
et al., 2004; Rogers and Sawyers, 1988).
dinosaurs.
Great ways for parents and children to play!
Parents can:
Why Play?
 It gives parents and children
 Make things related to
Plan for Play
Join the Play
Cheer Children On
Plan something fun
Make a dinosaur egg.
Help
Talk about
the play
Get things you need
Blow up the balloon and help
cover it with papier-mâché
strips.
Newspaper, flour, water,
paint, and a big balloon.
Suggest
Something more to do.
Think about
when and where
Let’s build a nest for the egg.
When baby is napping
and at the kitchen table
Where a mess will be
easy to clean.
Wonder
How many eggs did
a dinosaur lay?
How long did it take
eggs to hatch?
This paste feels
slippery.
Encourage
Children
You’re doing a great job!
I love playing,
don’t you?
(Segal, 2004)
Make a Tyrannosaurus Rex String Puppet
Pattern from DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Directions
 Copy pattern pieces: head, body, legs (two), and tail.
PEP Skills
Scale I - Subscale C:
Home Language and Learning
Scale II - Subscale E:
Expressive and Receptive
 Glue pieces to cardboard, SEPARATELY. Don't try to
make it look like a dinosaur yet.
 Cut out dinosaur pieces. This is a ‘parent job’ because
cardboard is hard to cut through. Hint: Wait for the
glue to dry before cutting.
 Paint pattern pieces. Experiment! Make rough ‘dinosaur
skin’ by dabbing paint on with a sponge. Paint with one
color and add circles by dipping a bottle cap in paint of a
second color and pressing it on the pieces.
 Turn the pieces face down on a table and arrange to look
like a dinosaur. Leave an inch between each piece. See
picture at left.
 Two pieces
yarn each 3
feet long
 Fossil scrap
paper
 Dinosaur
pattern
 Scissors
 Paint
 Cardboard
(cereal boxes
work great)
 Cut fossil paper into three inch lengths. Tape lengths to
connect dinosaur pieces
 5 pieces of
plain paper
 Tape 1 piece of yarn to the head and 1 piece to the body.
 Glue
 Trim the strings so they are the right length for your
child.
Take Tyrannosaurus Rex
for a walk!
Supplies
 Tie loops in the ends of the strings to put hands through.
Page 3
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 1 - Early Childhood Education: Dinosaur Play
Why Learn About Dinosaurs?
 Children love these giant reptiles that lived all over the earth millions of years ago.
 When they learn about dinosaurs, they learn new words and world knowledge important for reading
fluency and reading comprehension (Moore and Lyon, 2005).
PLS skills
AC 26:
Understands
spatial concepts
EC 39:
Uses quantity
Concepts
Vocabulary
Development
Knowing words helps children
become fluent readers.
Knowing ideas helps children
comprehend what they read.
le
pti
e
R
Br
ach
ios
s
Giant
Dein
o
au
ru s
nyc
h
Carnivores
Dig
us
Claw
Fossils
Nest
Paleo
ntolo
gi
Extinct
Dino
ggs
saur E
nnosa
Tyra
st
urus
Triceratops
Dinosaur Identification Cards
Sing Giant Dinosaurs Jumping All Around
These cards are for the child to keep.
 Place one or two cards on the ring. Add
new cards each week.
 Reinforce vocabulary: giant, dinosaurs, jump
 Reinforce spatial concepts: up and down.
 Talk about the information on the card.
How big was the dinosaur compared to a
human? What did it eat? How did it walk?
 Introduce number concepts: counting, subtraction, zero.
 Be physically active! Jump, stretch, bend!
 Compare dinosaur pictures on the cards
Play with Toy Dinosaurs
with illustrations in the book, with play
dinosaurs, with dinosaur puzzles. How are
they alike? Different?
Socio-dramatic play is pretend play. It helps children
learn language skills. Playing dinosaurs is socio-dramatic
play. When you play dinosaurs with the child you help
him or her learn language skills.
Dinosaur Puzzles
Follow the child’s lead. What dinosaur games does the
child want to play? How can you support his or her ideas?

Put together the puzzle.

Count the pieces.
Add a little. Notch up the play - but don’t take over.
Use a word or suggest an idea. This dinosaur looks like
Corythosaurus. She was a good mother. Should we make
a nest for her eggs?

Name the dinosaur. Is it Tyrannosaurus or
Triceratops?

Compare to play dinosaurs
and pictures in the book.

Talk about the dinosaur.
What did Tyrannosaurus
eat? How many feet did he
use for walking?
Model how to play. Talk in a ‘dinosaur’ voice. Make
your dinosaur walk, dig, jump, eat.
Page 4
1
2
3
4
5
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 1 - Interactive Literacy Activity: Dinosaur Play
Make a Giant Hatchable Egg
Parents will make a giant,
hatchable dinosaur egg with
the child:
 To teach words and concepts
about dinosaurs, and
Supplies
Flour-Water Glue Recipe
 One balloon
 One small plastic dinosaur
 A lot of old newspaper
 Flour-water glue (see recipe)
 Paint and paint brush
 To have fun in a play activity
Make the glue before the visit
 Mix 1 cup flour and 1 cup water
until mixture is thin and runny.
 Stir into 4 cups boiling water.
 Simmer for 3 minutes, then cool.
Directions
 Put the plastic dinosaur in the balloon and blow up the balloon.
 Tear strips of newspaper about one inch wide. Children are good at this.
 Dip strips in flour-glue and wrap around the balloon. Make at least two layers
surrounding the balloon. This is messy, but soooo much fun! Contain the mess
by placing the balloon in a low cardboard box while covering it with papiermâché strips.
Read the Book
 Read
about dinosaur
eggs on pages 12-13 in I
Wonder Why Triceratops
Had Horns and Other
Questions about Dinosaurs.
 Put egg in a safe place to dry - like the top of the refrigerator. Drying takes a few
days.
 When the egg is dry, paint and decorate it. No one knows what color dinosaur
eggs were, so any color will do.
 Some children may want to "hatch" the egg and find the tiny dinosaur.
More Than Messy Fun!
 Talk about animals that
hatch from eggs: birds,
turtles, frogs, toads, fish.
 Make a nest of twigs and
leaves for the egg.
Corythosaurus
Making the Hatchable Egg
 Teaches new words: giant, glue, papier-mâché
 Teaches concepts: dinosaurs were lizards that hatched from eggs.
 Builds background knowledge.
Color a Giant Dinosaur
Supplies
 1 sheet poster
board
 Paint or crayons
 Giant dinosaur
pattern
 Scissors
Directions
 Trace a giant dinosaur pattern on poster board.
 Color or paint the dinosaur.
 Cut around the edge. Parents may have to do the cutting as
poster board is hard to cut through.
 Use the giant dinosaur when singing the dinosaur song.
Page 5
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 2 - Parenting Education: Read-O-saurus
***Share with Parents***
Reading aloud to children in an interactive way
is very, very important!
Whether in English or Spanish, research shows that
reading aloud to children is the best way to help children become readers.
PEP Skills
Scale I -Subscale A:
Use of Literacy
Materials
Scale II -Subscale F:
Reading with
Children
Scale II -Subscale G:
Supporting Book/
Print Concepts
Reading to Children
Develops
listening skills
tic
gigan
sa
chio
Bra
s
uru
ls
fossi
s claw
saur
dino ct
extin
Tric
to
era
ps
Builds
imagination
Expands
background knowledge
Increases
word knowledge
Shows how
books work
(McKeown and Beck, 2006)
Two Kinds of Books
Fictional Books
Informational Books
Books that tell a pretend story
Books that have facts about real things
¿Como Van A La Escuela Los Dinosaur?
(How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?)
I Wonder Why Triceratops Had Horns
and other questions about dinosaurs
When you read a fictional book to your child
When you read an informational book with your child




Talk about the cover.
Skim the pages and look at the pictures.
Imagine what the story is about. Predict.
Make a connection. Talk about how your child
goes to school.
 Use the CAR technique to ask and answer
questions. (Comment Ask questions Respond)
 Start at the beginning.




Look at the Table of Contents and the Index.
Look at the pictures.
Read the headings.
Talk about the words and ideas. What do you already
know? What do you wonder about?
 Start on a page that interests your child. It might be in
the middle or even the last page in the book.
 Make it real with an activity or game.
What if:
I don’t know all the words?
Read the book first. Ask someone how to say words and what they mean. That’s what teachers do.
I am not a reader?
Make up a story to go with the pictures. Share what you know about real dinosaurs.
Page 6
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 2 - Early Childhood Education: Read-O-saurus
PLS Skills
Draw a Dinosaur
AC 49:
Understands
qualitative concepts
Follow the illustrations on the giant How to Draw Dinosaurs pad to
create your own dinosaur drawing.
EC 51:
Uses qualitative
concepts
Read about your dinosaur in I Wonder Why Triceratops Had Horns
and other questions about dinosaurs
 What did your dinosaur eat?
 Was she a good mother?
 How big was she compared to other dinosaurs?
Writing skills
Write about your dinosaur in your journal.
Re-Read the Books
Repeated readings improves word recognition and comprehension. For school-age children who are beginning readers,
repeated reading has a positive effect on fluency and reading
speed. ( Samuels, 2002)
Dinosaur Identification
Cards
 Is your dinosaur on your Dinosaur
Identification Ring?
 How does your drawing compare to the
picture on the identification card?
Dinosaur Maze
Help Triceratops find her eggs.
Mazes support the development of children’s early reading and
writing skills.
To solve a maze the child must:
 Scan the maze to find the right path,
 Then trace within the lines of the path to show the solution.
These are the same skills needed to:
 Trace shapes, letters, and words, and
 Train the eye to follow a line of print.
Show children how to use their eyes and fingers to discover the
right path through the maze before tracing the path with a pencil.
Considering options before solving the puzzle is a skill that will
help children on other tasks such as test-taking.
Have fun with the mazes in the kit and find more mazes at www.allkidsnetwork.com/mazes.
Page 7
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 2 - Interactive Literacy Activity: Read-O-saurus
Dinosaur Journal
Parents will write in the Dinosaur
Journal, read about dinosaurs, and
make a giant dinosaur with their
child to:
Have parents and children answer these prompts from
their Dinosaur Journals in words and drawings. Add
more prompts! Prompts may be about dinosaurs or fossils. Be creative!
 Support reading and writing skills
 Teach background knowledge
Journal Prompts
 Draw a picture of your favorite and give it a name.
My na
m
Brach e is
io
I was a saurus.
g
dinosaur iant
giant ap with a
I spent petite.
my tim most of
e eating
My l
ong n
ec
 Why is this dinosaur your favorite? Write your reasons,
k help
or dictate for your parent to write.
ed me
 Is this dinosaur a biped or quadruped? Is it a herbivore,
carnivore, or omnivore? Did it live in the Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous period? To find out, use the Dinosaur
Identification Cards and read I Wonder Why Triceratops
Had Horns and other questions about dinosaurs
 If you could be a dinosaur which one would you be?
Why?
Dinosaur Journal
 Draw a picture of yourself as a dinosaur.
 Some dinosaurs are herbivores. Can you name some?
Read about Dinosaurs
(Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Corythosaurus)
Draw a picture of what they might have eaten.
 Read I Wonder Why Tricera-
 Some dinosaurs were carnivores. Can you name some?
tops had horns? And other
questions about dinosaurs by
Rod Theodorou with the parent and child.
(Tyrannosaurus, Deinonychus) Draw a picture of what
they might have eaten.
 Use strategies for reading in-
formational books. Give parents a chance to read (if possible). Encourage them to use
appropriate interactive reading
strategies.
Color a Giant Dinosaur
Supplies



Don’t forget to paint
your giant hatching
dinosaur egg from
last week!

1 sheet poster
board
Paint or crayons
Giant dinosaur
pattern
Scissors
Tyrannosaurus
Directions
 Trace a giant dinosaur pattern
on poster board.
 Color or paint the dinosaur.
 Cut around the edge. Parents
may have to do the cutting as
poster board is hard to cut
through.
 Use the giant dinosaur when
singing the dinosaur song.
 Hang your giant dinosaur on
the wall or refrigerator.
Page 8
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 3 - Parenting Education: Tri-SORT-atops
Classifying - Noticing how things are alike
PEP Skills
Parent Practice
Scale I - Subscale C:
Home Language and
Learning
Scale II - Subscale E:
Expressive and
Receptive Language
 Look carefully at one dinosaur.
Describe it: color, shape, smooth,
rough or sharp edges. Noticing the
attributes of a thing is the first step
in classifying.
All of these things
are dinosaurs.
 Look at a second dinosaur.
Describe it.
All of these things
are trucks.
 Name one way the two dinosaurs
are alike. Noticing how things are
alike is the next step in classifying.
All of these things are green.
There is more than one way to
classify things!
All of these things are yellow.
Why Classify?
Noticing how things are alike - seeing patterns helps children become good readers.
(Cartwright, 2002)
Children begin noticing patterns like:
Later children notice patterns in words like:
Color
red things, yellow things
Same beginning
cat, can, cab, cap,
Function
things to play with, things to eat
Same ending
hat, bat, cat, fat, mat, pat, rat
Size
big things, little things
Shape
round things, square things
Parents can help children see patterns!
Give children things to match
Point out patterns
Fold pairs of socks.
In your home
Repeating designs
on the floor
in clothes
Put spoons in one place and
forks in another.
What else do you have in your
home that children can match?
At the store
Labels on soup cans
Brands of milk grouped together
What patterns do you see?
Page 9
Play category
games
Go Dig
Dinosaur Memory
Old Man-O-Saurus
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 3 - Early Childhood Education: Tri-SORT-atops
PLS skills
EC 49:
Names categories
EC 52:
Uses adjectives to
describe objects
EC 56:
Describes similarities
EC 59:
Counts items and
gives correct number
Directions
Supplies
 Open the folder and lay it on a flat surface. This is the
 Manila folder
 Construction
paper (3 colors)
 Marker
 Glue
 Dinosaur toys
base for timeline.
 Cut construction paper into 6x12 inch strips and glue to
folder creating three wide colored columns. See below.
 Draw a line lengthwise through the three columns creat-
ing a chart with six equal sections.
Classify Dinosaurs
 Using the Dinosaur Identification Cards and I Wonder Why Triceratops Had
Horns and other questions about dinosaurs as guides, place the plastic dinosaur
toys into the sections with the proper time period and type of diet.
 Count the dinosaurs in each section. Talk about the results. Which time period
had the most dinosaurs? Which had the least? Were more dinosaurs carnivores
or herbivores?
Your dinosaur timeline should look similar to this:
Herbivores
AC 50:
Identifies an object
that doesn’t belong
Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago during the Mesozoic era. The Mesozoic era
was divided into three time periods: the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Different dinosaurs lived during these three periods. Create a dinosaur timeline and help
children classify dinosaurs according to the era in which they lived and the kind of
foods (plants or other dinosaurs) they ate.
Carnivores
AC 38:
Identifies categories
of objects in pictures
Construct a Dinosaur Timeline
Triassic
Jurassic
Page 10
Cretaceous
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 3 - Interactive Literacy: Tri-SORT-atops
Go Dig
Parents will play
dinosaur card
games with their
child to:
 Support
matching and
sorting skills
 Reinforce
playing games
with rules.
Number of players: two or more.
Object: to win the most sets of four cards by asking other players for them.
The cards: Use all the cards in the Dinosaur Deck. For a fast game, use fewer sets.
To play: Deal 5 cards to each player. Scramble undealt cards face-down in the middle
of the table. Starting with the player at the dealer’s left, each player asks another for
cards of a specific dinosaur. For example, “Mom, do you have any Triceratops?” In
order to ask, the player must already have at least one of that card in his or her hand.
The player asked must give all of that card he or she has, but other players do not.
When the request is filled, it remains the players turn. He/she continues asking any
player for a specific dinosaur card. When a player asked does not have the card requested he/she says, “Go Dig!” The player then picks up a card from the pile.
If the dinosaur card requested is picked from the pile, he/she shows it to the other players and continues his/her turn. Otherwise, it becomes the next player’s turn.
Don’t forget to read
How Do Dinosaurs Go
To School and I Wonder
Why Triceratops Had
Horns and sing Giant
Dinosaurs Jumping All
Around with your
children!
Dinosaur Memory
Number of players: two or more.
Object: to gather the most cards by matching them in pairs.
The cards: Use half the dinosaur deck (six pairs).
To Play: Place all the cards face down on the table. The youngest player starts.
Each turn consists of turning up one card, then another, taking care to keep
them in their place. When the two cards match, the player puts them in his or
her winning pile and turns up two more cards. When the cards do not match,
they are turned face down and it is the next player’s turn.
Old Man-O-Saurus
Number of players: three or more, although two can play.
Object: not to be left holding Old Man-O-Saurus.
The cards: The Dinosaur Deck contains 25 cards, four of each of six
different dinosaurs and the Old Man-O-Saurus card.
Old Man-O-Saurus
To play: Deal all the cards one at a time. Before play starts, each player
shows any dinosaur pairs in his or her hand and places them on the table.
After that, the player on the dealer’s left takes one card, unseen, from the
player on his/her left. If it makes a pair, the pair is placed on the table
and the player continues. When a card taken does not make a pair, play
passes to the next player. Eventually, all cards are paired up except Old
Man-O-Saurus. The player holding that card is declared Old Man-OSaurus.
Page 11
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 4 - Parenting Education:You know you’re a fossil if . . .
PEP Skills
Background Knowledge
Scale I - Subscale D:
Priority on Learning
Together
Is everything a person knows about everything.
The more a child knows about something - anything, the easier it is for him or her to read.
Scale II - Subscale E:
Expressive and
Receptive Language
( Keene and Zimmerman, 1997; Tompkins, 2003;
Taberski, 2000; Gibbons, 2002)
Parent Practice
When a child knows that dinosaurs
 Were giant reptiles
 Hatched from eggs their mothers laid
 Are now extinct
Draw a large ‘T’ on a sheet of paper. On one side of
the vertical line print School. On the other side print
Dinosaurs. Ask the parent to name as many things as
possible about each. Write the parent’s responses.
Compare the lists. Which is longer? Why? Read
several pages in each book in the kit. Which book is
easier to understand? Why?
School
It is easier to talk and read about
 Related things like paleontologists and fossils
 Other reptiles like snakes, turtles, lizards, and
It may be easier to name things
Dinosaurs about school and read How Do
Dinosaurs Go To School? because we have more experience
with schools. We have been to
school and our children go to
school. This is background
knowledge.
crocodiles
 Other animals hatched from eggs like birds
 Other extinct or endangered animals
It is easier because he or she can tap into
 Important words he or she already knows
 Information he or she already knows that is
like the new ideas
(McGregor, 2007)
Parents can help children build background knowledge
Talk, Talk, Talk Do Things Together
And Listen
Games and Projects
Talk about
interesting things.
Ask questions.
What, Why, How?
Dig for a fossil.
Play Dinosaur
Memory.
Make a puppet.
Listen to your
child.
Put together a puzzle.
Have a
conversation.
Be a play partner
for your child.
Be Careful
about the TV
Read and Write
Visit Interesting
Places
Television is
Read books.
Go to the library.
Not a babysitter
Talk about pictures.
Visit a museum.
Not a substitute
for play
Tell stories.
Not a substitute
for you
Make a drawing.
These places can be
scary if you haven’t
been before. Once
you get the hang of it
you’ll love them.
Together watch
programs like Dora
the Explorer.
Page 12
Keep a journal.
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 4 - Early Childhood Education: You know you're a fossil if . . .
PLS skills
EC 36:
Produces basic four to five
word sentences
EC 52:
Uses adjectives to
describe objects
Vocabulary development
Text comprehension
How a fossil forms
Types of Fossils
Explore a fossil
Mold - a hollow impression of a
living thing left in a rock after it
decays.
Cast- solid mineral deposits fill
the mold leaving a copy of the
living thing.
Imprint- an impression made in
rock by a living thing during it’s
life, such as a footprint.
Petrifaction- plant or animal
tissue is replaced by minerals
over a long period of time (see
illustration on left).
Examine the fossil included in Dinomania!
Ask open ended questions and use rich vocabulary to describe the fossil with the child.
 What does it look like? How does it feel?
 Can you find any patterns or imprints on
the fossil? What do think made them?
 Use a magnifying glass (from the Bug Sa-
fari kit) to look more closely at the fossil
 Read pages 26—29 of I Wonder Why Tri-
ceratops Had Horns? to find out more information about fossils.
Make Your own Fossils
Using plaster of paris you will be able to make and decorate your own cast fossils.
Paleontologists use plaster to protect fossils when transporting them to museums.
Pretend you are Paleontologists while creating your fossils

Mix the plaster of paris and water in the mixing bowl
according to the directions in the bag.

Place the fossil molds onto a flat surface covered
with newspaper or other protective item.

Carefully spoon the plaster of paris into the fossil
molds.

Make sure the molds are level and are not disturbed
while drying. Place them in a safe location while
they dry.

When completely dry (20 - 30 minutes) remove the
plaster fossils from the molds.

Paint and decorate your fossils.

Create a story about how the fossils were discovered
and write it in your dinosaur journal.
CAUTION
Do not pour plaster of paris
down the sink or flush down the
toilet it WILL clog the pipes.
Page 13
Supplies
 Plaster of paris
 Mixing bowl
 Fossil molds
 Mixing stick
 Tempera paint
 Paint brushes
 Dinosaur journal
WARNING
When mixed with water plaster
of paris will get HOT. Do not
touch the plaster until it is
completely set and dry!
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Week 4 - Interactive Literacy: You know you’re a fossil if . . .
Make a Dinosaur Diorama
A diorama is a 3-D scene in a box.
Directions
 The box is the stage for the 3-D dinosaur scene.
Supplies
 Talk about what the earth was like during the time of dinosaurs. It was hot. There were many active volcanoes.
There were trees and plant life.
 Glue - a glue stick works well
 Decorate the inside of the box with crayons or markers,
pictures.
 Dinosaur patterns
 Create a scene inside the box with the mosses and other
creative craft items.
 Small amount play dough or clay
 Draw some dinosaurs on cardboard. Place them in the scene you created. You could also use the plastic dinosaurs
 Creative craft items: leaves from dried
flowers, cotton balls for clouds, glitter,
small stones, aluminum foil for pools of
water, twigs for trees, etc.
Parents will make a diorama and play pretend
dinosaur games with the
child to:
 Reinforce background
knowledge about dinosaurs
 Engage in interactive
play and story telling.
Don’t forget to read
How Do Dinosaurs Go
To School and I Wonder
Why Triceratops Had
Horns with your children. Pages 26—29
have some great stuff on
fossils!
 A shoe box or slightly larger box
 Scissors
 Construction paper
 Paint, markers, crayons
 Moss (2 varieties)
Color a Giant Dinosaur
Play with Dinosaurs
Directions
 Trace a giant dinosaur pattern on
poster board.
 Color or paint the dinosaur.
 Cut around the edge. Parents
may have to do the cutting as
poster board is hard to cut
through.
 Use the giant dinosaur when
singing the dinosaur song.
Supplies
 1 sheet poster
board
 Paint or crayons
 Giant dinosaur
pattern
Triceratops
 Scissors
Page 14
Pretend (socio-dramatic) play helps
children:
 Understand things they are learning.
 Learn to tell stories
When children go to school knowing
how to tell a story helps them understand stories they read and helps them
write stories.
Play Dinosaurs
Talk like a dinosaur. Use a ‘dinosaur’
voice. What would a dinosaur be interested in? What would a dinosaur say?
Have a play conversation with your
dinosaur and your child’s dinosaur.
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Glossary
Carnivore
An animal that eats other animals. (meat-eater)
Gigantic
Very big; huge. Many dinosaurs were gigantic.
Claw
A sharp, curved structure on the foot of many reptiles. The dinosaur Deinonychus had sharp claws.
Its name means “terrible claw”.
Herbivores
Herbivores are animals that eat plants. Most dinosaurs were herbivorous (plant-eating).
Cretaceous
Last part of the Mesozoic era - age of dinosaurs
- about 146 to 65 million years ago. In latter part
of era the first crocodilians, feathered dinosaurs,
earliest-known butterflies, snakes, ants, and bees
appear. It was a period of high tectonic and volcanic activity.
Dig
To break, or turn up, or remove ground. A place
where archeologists look for fossils or dinosaur
remains is called a dig.
Dinosaur
Now extinct, dinosaurs were large, land-dwelling
reptiles that roamed the Earth during the Mesozoic
Era. The word dinosaur means "fearfully great
lizard."
Down
A lower place; toward the ground.
Eggs
Some animals hatch from eggs, even dinosaurs. A
nutritive material (yolk) nourishes the embryo and
a protective membrane surrounds the eggs. A jelly
coating protects amphibian eggs and shells protect
bird eggs.
Jurassic
Middle part of Mesozoic era, about 208 to 146
million years ago . There were many dinosaurs.
The first birds appear. The first flowering plants,
ferns, cycads, gingkoes, rushes, conifers, ammonites, and pterosaurs evolve.
Jump
To leap and move around using leg muscles.
Nest
A structure built by animals to shelter themselves
and their young, using available natural materials
such as grass, twigs, and mud. Some dinosaurs
laid their eggs and raised their young in nests.
Some fossilized nests have been found, including
those of the plant-eating dinosaur Maiasaura.
Omnivores
Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and
other animals.
Paleontologist
A scientist who studies paleontology, the forms of
life that existed in former geologic periods.
Reptiles
A class of cold-blooded animals; snakes, lizards,
turtles, crocodiles and dinosaurs are reptiles.
Extinct
When an animal species dies out this is known as
extinction. Dinosaurs have become extinct.
Triassic
The earliest part of the Mesozoic era, about 248 to
208 million years ago. The first dinosaurs appear.
Fossils
The remains or traces of a plant or animal that
lived in the past, usually preserved in sedimentary
rock. Fossils have been found on every continent
Up
High off the ground.
Page 15
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Internet Resources
http:www.preschoolrainbow.org/dinosaur.htm
Many dinosaur activities for young children
Songs, finger play, alphabet, puppet show, “dino dig”, science:
What was the environment like when dinosaurs roamed the earth?
http:www.enchantedlearning.com/dinosaur.htm
Dinosaur ideas appropriate for young children
Printable patterns for dinosaur finger puppets, dinosaur finger play
are among many early childhood crafts.
http:www.dltk-kids.com/animals.htm
Detailed directions and printable patterns for dinosaur crafts
The pattern for the “Puppet on a String” are from this website.
http:www.zoomdinosaurs.com
A comprehensive on-line hypertext book about dinosaurs
designed for students of all ages and levels of comprehension.
http:www.allkidsnetwork.com/mazes
Printable mazes
The maze pictured in this kit is from this website.
http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain/
Games, printable coloring pages, a field guide and videos about dinosaurs
from the Dinosaur Train TV show on PBS kids
The dinosaur identification cards can be found at this website.
Page 16
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
References
Cartwright, K. (2002). Cognitive development and reading: The relationship of reading-specific multiple classification skill to reading comprehension in elementary school children. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 94(1), March 2002, pp 56-63.
Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching Second Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinmann.
Keene, E.O. and Zimmerman, S. (1997). Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Reader’s
Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinmann.
McGregor, T. (2007). Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
McKeown, M. and Beck, I. (2006). Encouraging young children’s language interactions with stories.
In David Dickerson and Susan Neuman (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research (Volume two).
New York: The Guilford Press.
Moore, P. and Lyon, A.(2005). New Essentials for Teaching Reading in PreK-2. New York: Scholastic.
Piaget, J. (1962). Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood. New York: W.W. Norton and Co.
Rogers, C. and Sawyers, J. (1988). Play in the Lives of Children. Washington D.C.: NAEYC.
Samuels, S.S. (2002). Reading fluency: Its development and assessment. In A.E. Farstrup and S.J.
Samuels (Eds.), What Research Has to Say about Reading Instruction (3rd edition) Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Segal, M. (2004). The roots and fruits of pretending. In Zigler, Edward, Singer, Dorothy and BishopJosef (EDS.) Children’s Play: The Roots of Reading. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three Press.
Taberski, S. (2000). On Solid Ground: Strategies for Teaching Reading K-3. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Tompkins, G.E. (2003). Literacy for the 21st Century (3rd edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill
Prentice Hall.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. In J.K. Gardner (Ed.),
Readings in Developmental Psychology (pp 130-139). Boston, MA: Little Brown.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). The role of play in development. Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Zigler, E., Singer, D. and Bishop-Josef, S.J. (2004). Children’s Play: The Roots of Reading. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three Press.
Page 17
Experiential Learning Kit: Dinomania!
BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center
27 Lackawanna Ave.
Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Dinosaur Card Patterns
For each set of dinosaur category cards:
 Copy and cut out 4 of each dinosaur
 Glue on the face side of regular playing cards
 To make an Old Man-O-Saurus deck, make
one Old Man Dinosaur Card (page 11).
Corythosaurus
Stegosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Deinonychus
Brachiosaurus
Page 18
Triceratops
Deinonychus
Old Man-O-Saurus
Stegosaurus
Brachiosaurus
Triceratops
Tyrannosaurus
Corythosaurus