Dinosaur Landscapes Created by Year 4 Children

The children in Year 4 at Langley Hall Primary Academy have begun their topic for the second half of the Spring Term.  The four classes are studying dinosaurs, fossils and life in the past.  The enthusiastic young scientists have been creating mini dinosaur worlds depicting prehistoric scenes and what a fantastic display of dinosaur dioramas they make!

Dinosaur Landscapes

Children in Year 4 at Langley Hall Primary Academy Have Made Mini Dinosaur Dioramas

Picture credit: Langley Hall Primary Academy/Everything Dinosaur

The four classes have been named after famous artists.  There is Matisse, Degas, Klee and O’Keeffe classes, clearly the children have been inspired by these artists as they made their very own prehistoric scenes.

A Range of Materials Have Been Used to Create the Prehistoric Landscapes

Picture credit: Langley Hall Primary Academy/Everything Dinosaur

Using Different Materials to Create Prehistoric Scenes

Lots of different materials have been used to create prehistoric scenes.  For example, some of the children made plants out of pieces of coloured tissue paper, whilst one pupil collected moss to provide flora for their dinosaur diorama.  The prehistoric animal models have plenty of different textures to explore, some children used small pieces of gravel in their scenes, whilst one innovative young scientists used couscous to make a sand effect.  Can you spot the chicken egg in the photograph below?  During the workshops that Everything Dinosaur conducted with the children over the course of a day, the pupils discovered that chickens are dinosaurs (avian dinosaurs).

Can You Find the Dinosaur Egg?

Picture credit: Langley Hall Primary Academy/Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaur toys and gifts: Dinosaur Toys and Gifts.

Georgia O’Keeffe and the Ghost Ranch Location

One of the Year 4 classes is named after Georgia O’Keeffe.  Georgia O’Keeffe was an American painter, best-known for her modernist approach to her subject matter.  Many of her paintings feature the atmospheric landscapes of the Ghost Ranch region of New Mexico.  The sandstones, siltstones and mudstones of this region date from the Triassic geological period and Ghost Ranch is famous for its dinosaur fossils.  Fossils of freshwater Coelacanths are also associated with the region (Chinle Formation).  Our dinosaur expert challenged the children to research the story of the Coelacanth and its rediscovery as part of several extension activities that were suggested during the workshops.

A Variety of Ecosystems and Habitats

Dinosaurs as a term topic permits lots of cross-curricular activities.  Everything Dinosaur provided some numeracy-based as well as literacy-based extension activities and the dioramas can be used to help explore and reinforce learning about food chains and different habitats.  For instance, in the prehistoric scene (below), the Year 4 pupil has used a range of materials to depict different environments.  They have even included some aquatic animals in their prehistoric scene.   Could add a drawing of a Coelacanth to their diorama?

A Prehistoric Scene Using Various Materials to Create Different Habitats

Picture credit: Langley Hall Primary Academy/Everything Dinosaur

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: The Everything Dinosaur Website.