Week 1 - Paleontology
Children will have multiple opportunities to investigate dinosaur fossils just as a paleontologist would. For example, children will be able to use tools to carefully brush discovered "dinosaur bones" and also create their own fossil imprints with different items. These experiences allow children to better understand what it's like to work with fossils and bones. The hands-on activities in week one can help stimulate a child's curiosity about things that existed in the past.   

Letter: Ll. Phonic Words: leaf, lion, lemon. Basic Concepts: oval, purple, fairness.

Week 2 - Types of Dinosaur
Dinosaurs were all different sizes and shapes. While children explore specific dinosaur types, they will identify similarities and differences between them. As a result, children use their categorizing skills to help sort the dinosaurs by attributes. For example, they will learn that some walked on two legs while others walked on four, or that some ate plants and others ate meat. Children will also practice their critical-thinking skills and organize the dinosaurs into groups. It is beneficial to expose children to larger and more technical words, such as the dinosaur names, to explore various phonological sounds.

Letter: Ee. Phonic Words: egg, elephant, eggplant.

Week 3 - Dinosaur Body Parts
When learning about specific features, such as a dinosaur's feet or head, children learn about the purpose of their own body parts or those of other animals. For example, some dinosaurs had long tails to help with balance and protection. A child may then inquire about other animals with tails and compare them to each other. Dinosaurs had different body parts, skins and skeletons that helped them survive in their habitats. 

Letter: Vv. Phonic Words: volcano, violin, vacuum.

Week 4 - Jurassic Land
Earth has changed over the years as a result of storms, earthquakes and shifting land. Children will explore Earth during the dinosaur days and begin to understand why the dinosaurs are now extinct. Role-playing can create context and a story to help make sense of abstract concepts. We will pretend to be dinosaurs looking for shelter from a hot, exploding volcano, roam around looking for food until we find a delicious snack and even make sense of the historic concept of Pangaea by dancing around seven connected towels, then gradually pulling each one away from each other. Through creative games, children are able to better conceptualize how and why events occurred. 

Letters: Ll, Ee, Vv. Phonic Words: leaf, lion, lemon, egg, elephant, eggplant, volcano, violin, vacuum.

      


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