Dinosaurs!

Day 10 Tuesday, June 27, 2023 Dinosaur Superstar --- Stegosaurus, Take 2!

Dino Show & Tell: Jackson brought Dolin, his Squishmallow "dinosaur". It did have a few spikes running down its back, but it was a bit tricky to identify what kind of Dino it might be. You can sure tell Jackson loves it a lot! Leo shared his volcano along with two Dinosaur figurines. They came as part of a set that included a few other dinosaurs. Leo got this set when he just a few years old. Thanks for sharing Jackson & Leo!

Today we learned that Stegosaurus had a brain approximately the same size as a ping pong ball. 

Dino Diorama (a.k.a. Dinorama!): Today, the students had several items to choose from to add lots of accents to their prehistoric Dinorama. For some, they really took some thinking time & creativity to add these special touches. We have almost finished this step, and then move on to our final step of adding Dinosaurs. Students could color & cut dinosaurs from a Jurassic/Cretaceous booklet, or they can free-hand draw & create their own dinosaurs to add dimension. Final touches tomorrow!

Fossil Dig #2: Students worked as pod pairs (groups of 2) to begin today's dino fossil egg excavation. When all the bones were "carefully" excavated with different brushes & tools, the team then needed to assemble & set their fossil on its display stand. Students discovered that each fossil bone was quite small & not the fossil bones fit together easily. Just like a real paleontologist, they discovered both challenges & successes along the way. A few bones still need a little excavating: we should have 3 Triceratops, 2 Stegosaurus, 1 T-Rex & 1 Dilophosaurus! 

Day 9 Monday, June 26, 2023 Dino Superstar #7 --- Stegosaurus (Roof Lizard)

• Dino Show & Tell: Mike brought a very special Show & Tell, a T-Rex Bead Keychain. Mike & his mom found a pattern online and got right to work. It is a T-Rex riding on a skateboard. When they ran out of white beads, they brainstormed & decided to make a silver cloud instead. Thanks for sharing Mike!

• Today we learned facts about Stegosaurus, and it's name means Roof Lizard. We did see a fossil skeleton of this plant-eating dinosaur last week on our Science Museum Field Trip. The students were interested that the plates on its back could be used for heating & cooling purposes. 

• Paleontologist Pete: I shared with the group that Paleontologist Pete looks a lot like "Flat Stanley". He is "10 years old", & he is going on a fossil dig in Colorado. He did have a few fossil dig supplies, but each student got a brightly-colored piece of paper to draw other items he might need for his very first fossil dig. They were very creative, drawing everything from water bottles, pizza, bubble wrap, Dino books, first aid kit, toolbelt & dirt bike (and of course gas for the dirt bike!) We added these to the P. Pete poster, & now is geared up & ready to go digging. 

• Dino Diorama Day 2: Students began creating the background to their black-painted shoeboxes with pieces of paper & gluesticks: Blue - sky, water; Brown - ground; Green - grass, trees, etc. Tomorrow we will add more scenery & accents to our Dino Diorama. Each student was asked to ponder whether their Diorama will showcase the Jurassic and/or Cretateous period. 

• Fossil Dig #1: Everyone was surprised to discover it was edible -- Chocolate Chip Cookies! The cookie was the ground, the chocolate chips were the fossils, the excavating tool was 1-2 toothpicks. The directions were specific: 1st Set their C.C. cookie on a piece of paper &  map the fossils on top of the "ground" next to it with pencil, colored pencil or marker. 2nd Did each fossil out using the "tool" & being very careful. **Do not pick up the cookie**. 3rd Each whole "fossil" was worth $25, and on the honor system, the class had a a total of 307 "Fossils". Doing the multiplication (or as they said Times), we discovered that we had earned a grand total of $7, 675 from our fossils! :) 

Day 8 Friday, June 23, 2023 Dino Superstar #6 --- Velociraptor (Speedy Thief)

• Today we learned facts about Velociraptor (a.k.a. Speedy Thief). Students took a few minutes to write two facts we learned about this meat-eating dinosaur. Then, two students each shared one important Velociraptor fact. 

Dino Show & Tell: Miss H brought out her 3 Velociraptor claws for students to try. They have the initials JW on the side, which is from the Jurassic World movie a few years back. Students discovered that a Velociraptor claw can also be used to scratch a friend's back! :)

• Today we learned all about Velociraptor & why its name means "Speedy Thief". We know it is a carnivore, a.k.a., meat-eater, and it lived during the Cretateous Period.  

• Dino Dioramas Day 1: Students carefully painted the outside of their shoeboxes black to prepare to create their unique Dino Diorama. We discovered that black Dollar Tree paint does a much better job of covering the shoebox than black Crayola paint.

Day 7 Thursday, June 22, 2023 Dino Superstar #5 --- Dracorex (X-Factor Dinosaur) ***pictures coming soon!***

*Science Experiment Day 5: And the T-Rex Dino continues to grow --- More water was added to the bucket just to see just how tall it will get!

*Dino Show & Tell: Carly shared a special T-Rex poster that came in a Dinosaur book she got when she was 7yo. She is now 9yo & still loves this poster! Thanks for sharing Carly!

*Today we learned about Dracorex & his Spiky Head X-Factor. Students learned this dinosaur may have been a young Parasoralophus!

*Day 3 Paper Mache Dino Bone: It's time to bring out the White, Black, Yellow & Brown paints & paintbrushes to cover the Paper Mache & make our fossil bones come to life. How exciting to see the uniqueness of how each student blended these colors to create their own fossil!

Day 6 Wednesday, June 21, 2023 --- Extended Day @ Science Museum Field Trip!

9:30 - 10:30         ***T-Rex group photo - Level 5*** + Dinosaurs & Fossils Gallery Scavenger Hunt (Level 3)

10:30 - 11:00 Explore other science exhibits --- Levels 3, 4 & 5 (Don't forget to race T-Rex in the Sportsology Area on Level 3!)

11:00 - 11:30          Lunch as a Dinosaurs! group with SEEK classes, How Your Body Works & S.T.E.A.M Explorers(Level 2)

11:30 - Noon Explore exhibits on Level 3

Noon - 12:30           “How to Train Your Dinosaur” - Science Live Show - Level 3 ***human-sized puppet of T-Rex*** Brennen was part of the show! :)

12:30 - 1:00 Impromptu visit in the Dinosaur Gallery with Aunna, the SMM's expert on all things Dinosaur!

1:00 - 1:10 Restroom break  --- load bus by 1:15pm (Level 5)

2 moms + 2 dads = 4 AMAZING Chaperones!!  They were so wonderful w/ their group of students, & each group had a unique experience at the SMM!

Day 5 Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Dino Superstar #4 --- Ankylosaurus! (Fused Lizard) ***pictures are coming soon!***

*Egg Observation Day 5: Our Dino egg has basically hatched out of the egg, & it appears to be a T-Rex dinosaur! With the eggshell removed, the "dino" will now have a chance to continue to grow in the water so each team can match their predictions to the actual dinosaur. 

*Dino Show & Tell:  Clayton shared his10in T-Rex Skeleton! He discovered each bone in a fossil dig/excavation block, and needed to assemble it to complete the T-Rex Skeleton. Logan shared his Velociraptor figurine! He knows that a Velociraptor is 3ft in height, and he tried demonstrating to the class how his Velociraptor can also jump. This took some work on his part, and he tried more than one location. Thanks for sharing Clayton & Logan!

*Today we learned facts about Ankylosaur, a heavily-armored dinosaur. Students then used their imaginations to create a "Rip Dino", by using a white sheet of paper, glue stick, different-colored scraps of paper, Dino research book as needed to create their own unique design. A few students even created a whole new species!  One rule: No scissors allowed :) Great use of imaginations & ripping paper on this project!

Day 2 Paper Mache Dino Bone: 4 students help mix flour, glue & water together to create a Paper Mache Mixture. Several students found it tricky to wrap strips of newspaper dipped in the mixture around their TP roll & newspaper ends. Quite an experiment & each one is unique!

Day 3 Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Dino Superstar #2 --- Triceratops! (The "Slicer") ***pictures are coming soon!***

*Egg Observation Day 3: More of the shell is starting to break open. We are not sure that it will hatch completely by tomorrow. 

*Dino Show & Tell: Patsy shared her favorite dinosaur book, & Brennen was excited to share his Spinosaurus claw replica. Both students took questions from the "audience". Students were very respectful listeners! Every day 2 students can volunteer & share a dinosaur-related item for 2 minutes. They also get the choice to wear the paleontologist hat or the dino "hat".  Thanks for sharing Patsy & Brennen!

*Measuring a Triceratops horn & skull: We used a new measuring tool today - toilet paper! Students did a great job doing the math to figure out how many TP squares it would take to measure a 3ft horn & a 10ft skull. Each square = 4in. in length. Putting on their Smart Brains, students figured out it took 9 squares to = 3 ft & 30 squares to = 10ft! Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops worked separately as 2 separate teams. Amazing teamwork! Once we had measured the 10ft skull, they knew just what to do when I turned on the music: LIMBO under the TP! What fun they had taking turns holding the TP & trying to see how "low" they could go :)

*Fresh-cut ferns certainly made learning about a Triceratops' daily diet of ferns & cycads a lot more interesting! We took group photos & students could choose to bring their personal fern home today.

*Students took time to begin decorating their Jr. Paleontoloist folders. Color crayons, colored pencils, markers, dino stencils & dino books helped fuel their imagination & creativity. This will be an ongoing project over the next few days, as they are getting lots of dinosaur handouts & writing 2 "facts-I-learned" in their Dino-A-Day packets. 2 students were chosen to share a scientific fact about Triceratops.

*They worked on two puzzles today: one group worked as a team to assemble a T-Rex puzzle, and the 2nd group began to assemble a Triceratops puzzle. Students discovered that sometimes a puzzle piece might be missing, just like scientists work to assemble fossil bones. 

Day 2 Tuesday, June 13, 2023 Dino Superstar #1 --- T-Rex! (The "Ripper") ***pictures are coming soon!***

*Egg Observation Day 2: The top of our dinosaur egg is starting to hatch. So far, students can see an eye & a head. Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops worked together to predict what day the dino egg would hatch, what kind of dino it will be, & just how big will it grow! 

*What a busy day the students had, learning all about the most well-known dinosaur: Tyrannasaurus Rex! A great call & response got our day started: When I say T, you say Rex! When I say Carni, you say vore! When I say Creta, you say tious! We even had a contest between Team T-Rex & Team Triceratops! Pretty sure it was a tie :) 

*Dino Show & Tell: Matt shared his super cool "Cast Fossil" that he found on a family trip to Colorado. He explained that he found this cast fossil by the side of the road next to a hole. Matt was only 4yo when he made this discovery! Thanks for sharing Matt!

*T-Rex Footprint: 13 students + Miss H put a total of 28 shoes in our 3 1/2 ft paper footprint, and we still had room for more!

*Students decorated a T-Rex/Burger King crown with bling stickers, feathers, T-Rex teeth & markers to wear, since the the T-Rex was the King of the Cretaceous! We discovered it was a bit tricky to cover up the new Spiderman design, but Grace had the idea of designing the cardboard side on the back. Great thinking!

*After our regular SEEK snack, approx. half the class decided they would take the "Eat Like a T-Rex Challenge". With a small amount of beef jerky on a Styrofoam plate, hands behind their back, & trying their best to eat the jerky like a T-Rex; it was definitely a race to the finish! Prizes were given to our top 2 fastest T-Rex eaters. 

*Our T-Rex project was to create a Fossil Bone using 7 cotton balls, glue, a white writing utensil & a 1/2 sheet of black paper. The challenge was to try and fluff or unroll the cotton ball to fit the size of their chosen T-Rex fossil bone. We learned it is important to identify/label our work just like a paleontologist would do.   

Dear Students & Parents/Guardian(s),

Welcome to Dinosaurs!, junior paleontologists!  I am super excited to teach at Project SEEK again this year, and I hope you are all excited too! I can’t wait to meet each of YOU and learn more about prehistoric dinosaurs together! :) 

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During this 12-day class, we’ll study a “Dino-A-Day” Super Star, including popular dinosaurs like T-Rex and Triceratops. One dinosaur will have a special “X” factor! We will learn about the biggest, smallest, fastest, and smartest dinos. Students will record Dino Facts as we know & learn about each dinosaur during SEEK. 

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Students will work on numerous hands-on activities (as individuals, pairs, and teams) involving dinosaur eggs/geodes, fossils and teeth, along with fossil digs. Students will use paint, glue, and other crafting items on most of the SEEK days.

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On the 1st day of SEEK, please have your child bring the following 3 items:

1. Solid color t-shirt. The t-shirt can be old or new, but a WHITE/light t-shirt will work the best. (They will create a personalized T-Rex t-shirt with tie-dye spritz)

2. Shoebox with a separate lid (They will create a 3D Dino Diorama with box)

3. One toilet paper roll (This will be used to create a Dino fossil bone)

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***Your child is welcome to bring his/her own pencil box to keep at SEEK (with the following supplies: notebook, pencil(s), erasers, glue sticks, glue bottle, scissors, markers, color pencils/crayons, pencil sharpener, etc.)***Remember to have them bring a daily snack or money to purchase snacks and drinks. ($.50 - $1.50 can buy great snacks!)

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For our extended day, Wednesday, June 21, we will be taking a Field Trip to the Science Museum of MN in St. Paul. A permission slip is coming soon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For additional class questions, please call or text @ 612.845.0972, or email me at mhedberg@rushcity.k12.mn.us. See you on Monday, June 12th (Day 1)!

Sincerely, 

Ms. Hedberg(asaurus)