Key Stage 1/2 - Part 8

31 01, 2017

Happy Smiling Dinosaurs Delight Young Children

By Mike|2024-05-07T13:01:57+01:00January 31st, 2017|General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Happy Smiling Dinosaurs Delight Young Children

Year 1 Make Paper Dinosaurs

After a busy morning delivering two dinosaur themed workshops to Year 1 classes at Prescot Primary, our dinosaur expert was presented with a couple of paper dinosaurs that some of the girls had made. Origami dinosaurs, what a super idea! Rolled up white paper is a cheap and effective way to make pretend dinosaur bones for use in art classes building dinosaur skeletons, but we had not been presented with paper dinosaurs before. The two dinosaurs, one a herbivore, the other a carnivore (we explored these terms along with omnivores with the children), had huge grins on their faces, they look like very happy dinosaurs to us.

Dinosaur Themed Workshops

Prescot Primary and the Paper Dinosaurs

Dinosaur themed workshops produce happy, smiling dinosaurs. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Our dinosaur expert was informed that one of the models was a Diplodocus, the other a Tyrannosaurus rex. During the visit to the school by Everything Dinosaur, we were asked lots of questions by the children (and the teachers too). We were asked how to pronounce Diplodocus? Good question, we tend to pronounce this long-necked dinosaur as “dip-ploh-de-kus”, whilst others prefer to use “dip-ploh-dok-us”, both forms of pronunciation are fine by us.

Questions About Dinosaurs

Other questions included wanting to know whether dinosaurs were warm or cold-blooded, were dinosaurs fluffy and whether chickens were in fact dinosaurs?

To view a range of fluffy, soft toy dinosaurs: Dinosaur Soft Toys.

What a super set of questions from Lower Key Stage 1.

Very Big Smiles on the Dinosaur’s Faces

Happy smiling dinosaurs created by school children.

Picture credit: Class Y1G and Everything Dinosaur

Palaeontologists have suggested that dinosaurs might have had lips. Perhaps they could pull faces, maybe they were even capable of smiling, now there’s an interesting thought, something to explore with Year 1 as an extension after the dinosaur workshop in school.

To read an article published by Everything Dinosaur that examines the research into whether dinosaurs had lips or not: Dinosaurs Had Lips.

Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur thanked the children for their questions.

The spokesperson stated:

“It was fun working with the children. The paper dinosaurs that the children made were wonderful.”

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

21 01, 2017

Beautiful Model Dinosaurs at Barford Primary

By Mike|2023-04-18T22:23:57+01:00January 21st, 2017|General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Beautiful Model Dinosaurs at Barford Primary

Model Dinosaurs Made by an Artist

Children at Barford Primary (Year 1), have been studying dinosaurs at school and Everything Dinosaur came along to give them an insight into how fossils form and what they can tell us about life in the past.

The Year 1 classes have a wonderful and spacious sports hall for them to enjoy. On the walls of the sports hall and elsewhere in the school, which is located in the heart of Ladywood (Birmingham, West Midlands), are some wonderful paintings of characters from children’s literature. These inspirational paintings feature some classic scenes and characters from children’s books, such as “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett as well as more modern tales such as those by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter).

Beautiful Model Dinosaurs

What caught our dinosaur expert’s eye were the large models of various animals on display throughout the school. There were even two large dinosaur models, a Stegosaurus and a very colourful Tyrannosaurus rex.

A Stegosaurus Dinosaur Model on Display at Barford Primary School

A colourful Stegosaurus model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Barford Primary School

The school provides its pupils with lots of interesting “hands on” experiences and the fossil and dinosaur workshop was enjoyed by the two classes of Year 1 children. The school often invites musicians and artists from the local community to work with the children to help create an inspiring learning environment. Lurking behind a corner, keeping watch on the comings and goings, was a five-foot-high model of T. rex.

Tyrannosaurus rex on Display at the School

Beautiful dinosaur models. A model of T. rex.

The Barford T. rex dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Barford Primary School

Brightly Coloured Dinosaur Models

We are not quite sure as to the colouration of the models, we suspect that many dinosaurs were brightly coloured and there was plenty of counter shading within the Order Dinosauria, but multi-coloured squares might be pushing the bounds of reason a bit too far. However, with these fantastic models and the beautiful paintings, the children certainly have a super learning environment.

For models and replicas of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

Our dinosaur expert was given a set of questions that the children from each class had composed. He did his best to answer them and praised the children for their excellent handwriting. Such experiences such as a dinosaur and fossil workshop reinforce understanding of a term topic and help develop a greater enthusiasm for learning.

We are sure that the Stegosaurus and the wonderful Tyrannosaurus rex approved.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

9 01, 2017

A Superb Ammonite Aquarium Created by Model Fan

By Mike|2024-03-14T09:25:15+00:00January 9th, 2017|Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on A Superb Ammonite Aquarium Created by Model Fan

Ammonites on Display

When working with Key Stage 1 classes we like to give the young children the opportunity to handle and explore fossils. Fortunately, we have lots of fossils to show them, including a lot of different sized ammonites.

We ask the children to think of words that mean the same as “small” when it comes to describing the ammonites and we delight in being told that we have “tiny”, hand-sized”, “baby” ammonite fossils. Then we ask the class to think of words that mean the same as “big” to help us describe the larger ammonite fossils that we bring into the classroom. We have lots of amazing words, “giant”, “gigantic”, “huge” and even “enormous”. This is a great exercise that not only explores the properties of materials (the fossils), but allows the children the opportunity to develop their vocabulary too.

An Ammonite Aquarium

Ammonites on display.

Picture credit: Paleo Paul

For models and replicas of ammonites and other prehistoric creatures: Models of Iconic Fossils such as Ammonites.

Ammonites

Ammonites were all marine creatures, (they all lived in saltwater). The picture above shows a photograph of ammonite models in a pretend aquarium. This is a great way to show what the animals whose fossil shells the children have been handling actually looked like. An ammonite aquarium, can make a useful addition to the Key Stage 1 scheme of work especially when it comes to considering what animals need to live and what animals live where.

Extension Topic Ideas

Lots of challenging questions can come out of an exploration of ammonite fossil shells:

What other animals live in the sea? Can the children make a seascape?
Why do the shells fossilise? Why doesn’t the rest of the ammonite become a fossil too?
What food did ammonites eat?
Ammonites live in the sea and they have tentacles, what other animals live in the sea today which also have tentacles?

To purchase ammonite models, plus real fossils to use in school, visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Visit Everything Dinosaur’s Website

2 12, 2016

Thank You Letters from Year 2/3 Children

By Mike|2023-05-11T16:29:43+01:00December 2nd, 2016|Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Thank You Letters from Year 2/3 Children

Pebble Brook Primary Pupils Say Thank You to Everything Dinosaur

Pupils at Pebble Brook Primary in Year 2/3 have been learning all about dinosaurs and life in the past under the tutelage of their enthusiastic teaching team. As part of a varied and challenging cross-curricular scheme of work, a dinosaur expert from Everything Dinosaur was invited into the school to deliver three dinosaur and fossil themed workshops, one for each class.

Over the course of the day, the visitor set the children a number of challenges aimed at supporting the teaching team’s lesson plans. For example, after the fossil workshop with class 2/3AP, the pupils were challenged to write thank you letters and send them to Everything Dinosaur’s offices.

Children Send in Thank You Letters to Everything Dinosaur

A “Cypyensores” created by Cyprian (Year 2/3). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Year 2/3AP and Everything Dinosaur

Fossil Workshop

After our dinosaur and fossil workshops, thank you letters were sent into Everything Dinosaur by the Year 2 and Year 3 children.

The class teacher emailed Everything Dinosaur to say:

“Thank you so much for coming to visit us on Friday, I really hope you enjoyed your time at our school. All of the children really enjoyed meeting you and learning some amazing information about the dinosaurs. It was a great discussion point for my class, which carried on until home time!”

For dinosaur soft toys and prehistoric plush to help inspire your young palaeontologist: Prehistoric Plush/Dinosaur Soft Toys.

Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We really enjoyed our time at the school. It was wonderful to meet so many budding palaeontologists. Our thanks for all the letters we received. We wish the teaching team and the children every success with the rest of the term topic.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

16 11, 2016

How Do We Know Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth?

By Mike|2023-05-09T11:56:35+01:00November 16th, 2016|Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on How Do We Know Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth?

Brook Class Learn All About Brachiosaurus

Children in Brook Class (Year 2), at St Margaret’s C of E Primary have been getting to grips with the question how do we know dinosaurs roamed the Earth? So far this term the eager young palaeontologists have been looking at different types of dinosaurs, when they lived and what they ate.

With the help of Mrs Turner (class teacher) and Miss McGinn (class teaching assistant), the pupils have been carrying out their own research into different dinosaurs and working out whether they were carnivores, herbivores or even omnivores.

Learning About Dinosaur Diets

There were lots of examples of the children’s work pinned up around the spacious classroom, there was even a poster all about the long-necked dinosaur Brachiosaurus (Brak-kee-oh-sore-us), on one of the walls. The Year 2 class had been learning Brachiosaurus facts and during our visit to explore dinosaurs and fossils, our dinosaur expert explained that Brachiosaurus was so gigantic that a child could have had a bath in one of its massive footprints!

Brook Class Study Brachiosaurus

A Papo Brachiosaurus dinosaur word mat. Children study Brachiosaurus. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) features a Papo Brachiosaurus.

To see the Papo range of prehistoric animal figures: Papo Dinosaur Figures and Models.

Brook Class and Brachiosaurus

Brachiosaurus was one of the largest dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic. Its front legs were longer than its hind legs, this gave it a sloping back, but it probably would not have been a very good idea to try to slide down its back, as although this dinosaur was a herbivore, it was very tall, its head would have been as high as a four storey house. Brachiosaurus was so tall that it could feed on the tops of trees and get food that other plant-eating dinosaurs could not reach.

Brachiosaurus Compared to Diplodocus

Long necks for different feeding envelopes. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The long arms and long neck of Brachiosaurus allowed it to reach high up into trees to feed on the parts that other dinosaurs such as Diplodocus could not reach.

During our workshop, we challenged Brook class to have a go at designing their very own dinosaur, how many of the dinosaur designs will have long necks?

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

1 11, 2016

Dinosaur Workshops for the Cornerstones Curriculum

By Mike|2023-05-08T13:55:19+01:00November 1st, 2016|General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Dinosaur Workshops for the Cornerstones Curriculum

Dinosaur Workshops for the Cornerstones Curriculum

The start of the second part of the autumn term and Everything Dinosaur team members are in the process of delivering a number of dinosaur and fossil themed workshops to support various term topics within schools. Several schools have approached the teaching team at Everything Dinosaur and requested a provocation, a dinosaur workshop to kick-start a topic area, one that will enthuse the pupils (and teachers too).

Everything Dinosaur and Dinosaur Workshops

Some of these schools are following the Cornerstones curriculum, a cross curricular approach to learning that encompasses four interlocking phases.

Delivering a Provocation to Inspire Young Learners

Helping to promote science for girls by dressing up as Mary Anning. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Cornerstones Curriculum

Cornerstones has four main areas of learning:

Engage
Develop
Innovate
Express

Pupils have the opportunity to develop and improve skills learnt during each of these interlocked and related stages. The aim is to help each child reach their full potential. When it comes to a dinosaur themed learning topic, our team members are often amazed at the level of pre-knowledge that is demonstrated. For instance, during one of our recent dinosaur workshops in school, working with a Year 1 class, the children were eager to show us their underwater scenes that featured a variety of marine reptiles and a coelacanth!

The Engage Element of the Cornerstones Curriculum

In the “Engage” section of the Cornerstones curriculum, pupils are given the chance to start their topic with a memorable, exciting and stimulating first-hand learning experience. Everything Dinosaur team members call their provocation workshops “wow experiences”, after all, a great way to start a topic all about dinosaurs and life in the past is to handle real fossils.

Fossil Handling as Part of a Dinosaur Themed Workshop Helping to Kick-Start a Term Topic

“Shiny side up” the joys of “dino dung”. The joys of fossil handling. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

For further information about Everything Dinosaur’s science outreach work: Email Everything Dinosaur Team Members.

Dinosaur Workshops

It is important to kick-off the topic with a thought provoking and exciting learning experience. This will help to enthuse and motivate the children, it will also help to enthuse the teaching team and with the extra resources we provide, there is plenty of scope to build in extension activities after one of our dinosaur and fossil workshops.

The dedicated teaching team at Everything Dinosaur will be undertaking a number of these provocations over the next two weeks as many schools start a new dinosaur and fossil themed topic area in the second half of the autumn term. We wish all teachers, teaching assistants and home educationalists a rewarding and successful teaching term.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

10 10, 2016

Milk Carton Woolly Mammoth Craft Idea

By Mike|2023-05-07T21:42:12+01:00October 10th, 2016|Early Years Foundation Reception, Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Milk Carton Woolly Mammoth Craft Idea

Milk Carton to Woolly Mammoth

For teachers, museum staff and home educationalists, here is a simple craft idea to make a Woolly Mammoth model. This could prove to be very useful when thinking of extension ideas to support teaching about the Stone Age or prehistoric mammals. A milk carton can be used to make a Woolly Mammoth model.

Make Your Own Woolly Mammoth Models Using Milk Cartons

Making a Woolly Mammoth out of a plastic milk carton.

Making a Woolly Mammoth out of a milk carton.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

Ideal for Upper KS1 or Lower KS2

Using just a few basic school resources, all of which are readily available in the average classroom, a milk carton can be used to make a Woolly Mammoth model. This craft idea is a great way to help support cross curricular activities.

What You Will Need

Scissors (round ended ones would be best)
A selection of empty milk cartons (washed out)
White card or paper
Paints
Pencil and a black pen to help draw out the shapes to be cut out of the milk carton

Carefully cut the milk carton in half, using the handle as a guide. The handle will make the trunk of the Mammoth so cut the handle first than cut around the rest of the carton. Then trim the base of the milk carton so that the base is a good two centimetres deeper than the trunk. This will ensure that the Mammoth’s trunk will be raised off the floor.

The Milk Carton Mammoth Begins to Take Shape

Woolly Mammoth takes shape (milk carton).

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Making a Woolly Mammoth Model

Cut two tongue-shaped slots on each side of the carton, these will make the legs. Use a pencil to sketch out where the cuts will be made and then go over the pencil line with a black marker pen to give you a distinctive line to follow. Cut a third tongue-shaped slot on the back of the carton, this will help to form the back legs. Add the tail by cutting a small “V” shape at the top of this slot, you can then bend this plastic out to make the Woolly Mammoth’s stumpy tail, but watch for sharp edges.

Paint your Woolly Mammoth model, mark in the five toe nails per foot, outline the small ears (an adaptation to the cold) and add the eyes.

Build Your Own Herd of Prehistoric Woolly Mammoths

Build your own herd of milk carton Woolly Mammoths.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Make a small hole either side of the trunk and push some white card or paper into the hole to form the pair of tusks. Bend the tip of the tusks upwards so that they resemble the tusks of this Ice Age elephant. Different sized milk cartons can be used to make different sized Woolly Mammoths, such as the adult and young pictured above.

For dinosaur and prehistoric animal resources for schools, including fossil sets and dinosaur models: Prehistoric Animal Toys and Gifts.

28 09, 2016

Answering Important Questions About Dinosaurs

By Mike|2024-05-06T15:45:41+01:00September 28th, 2016|Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Answering Important Questions About Dinosaurs

Answering Questions About Dinosaurs

Another busy day yesterday for the teaching team at Everything Dinosaur. One of our dinosaur and fossil experts had been invited into Astbury St Mary’s Church of England Primary to work with the Reception class who had just started studying dinosaurs, the children’s first ever term topic. The impressive dinosaur museum already had a number of very colourful exhibits and we were able to suggest a dinosaur sorting game helping the children work out which dinosaurs were plant-eaters and which were meat-eaters.

For soft toy dinosaurs: Dinosaur Soft Toys.

Our suggestion was certainly well received by the class teacher, she incorporated our idea into her teaching activities for the afternoon. We even got the chance to see the outcome of this activity as a short post about the children’s sorting fun was posted on the school blog.

Most of the Dinosaurs Had Plants in their Diet

Proportion of plant-eaters to meat-eaters in the Dinosauria.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Questions About Dinosaurs

Prior to our visit the Reception class children were challenged to come up with some questions about dinosaurs that they wanted to learn the answers to. The questions that the children came up with were then posted up onto one of the display walls in the well-appointed and spacious class room.

Children Compose Questions about Dinosaurs

Brainstorming dinosaurs with a class of school children.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Lots of questions and to be perfectly honest, most of them we had encountered before, but one question really floored us, Jude wanted to know did dinosaurs have phones? What a wonderful, imaginative question. The Reception children certainly had a great time exploring dinosaurs.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

14 09, 2016

Dinosaurs Visit Coventry for a Special Event

By Mike|2024-05-06T08:56:27+01:00September 14th, 2016|Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Dinosaurs Visit Coventry for a Special Event

Dinosaurs Visit Coventry

Yesterday, one of our dinosaur experts along with lots of fossils was “sent to Coventry”. Not to worry, one of our enthusiastic team members has not been ostracised, they went to Coventry to visit Howes Primary to conduct a series of dinosaur and fossil themed workshops with Year 1 and Year 2. During the session with the first class, our dinosaur expert challenged the budding young palaeontologists to have a go at drawing their very own dinosaur. At the end of our busy morning we were presented with a selection of very colourful prehistoric animal drawings that the children had produced.

Fossil Themed Workshop

The Children Wrote a “Thank You” on Their Colourful Dinosaur Drawings

A horned dinosaur drawn by a child in Year 1.

A dinosaur drawing from Year 1.

Picture credit: Howes Primary School/Everything Dinosaur

The children in Year 2 were accompanied by some of the budding palaeontologists from the Hearing Impaired Unit. All the children enjoyed handling the various fossils and learning lots of prehistoric animal facts and figures. We helped explain about just how big some dinosaurs could be and we looked at herbivorous dinosaurs such as Ankylosaurus and Triceratops as well as meat-eating dinosaurs. Some of the children were keen to demonstrate their dinosaur knowledge by naming dinosaurs that were omnivores.

Carnivores, Omnivores and Herbivores

The teaching team requested some additional support with helping to explain simple food chains and the diets of dinosaurs. Our dinosaur expert was happy to oblige. Some extension resources had been brought with us on the day, but that evening, our dedicated dinosaur experts emailed over some additional support resources including a couple of exercises all about dinosaur food webs.

For models and figures of dinosaurs that ate different food: Schleich Models and Figures.

Howes Primary School Children Draw Dinosaurs (Year 1)

Wonderful dinosaur and fossil drawings from a Year 1 pupil.

Picture credit: Howes Primary School/Everything Dinosaur

We even “tweeted” some pictures to the school’s Twitter account, it’s all about providing support and additional resources to assist the hard-working teaching team.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

10 08, 2016

Why Would a Dinosaur Not Make a Good Pet?

By Mike|2023-05-06T14:49:59+01:00August 10th, 2016|General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Why Would a Dinosaur Not Make a Good Pet?

Why Would a Dinosaur Not Make a Good Pet?

Around the country lots of teachers are busy organising their next scheme of work in conjunction with the national curriculum. With the autumn term fast approaching, Everything Dinosaur takes time out to consider one of the term topic themes that has been proposed in support of the science element of the national curriculum in England. It is important with a subject like science to try and start from a concept that appeals to the child, dinosaurs and fossils tend to be very popular and most teachers find a ready, eager and very enthusiastic audience when prehistoric life is part of the teaching programme.

Studying Dinosaurs Helps to Enthuse Young Learners

Children playing with dinosaur and prehistoric animal models.

Picture credit: Schleich

The models in the image are from Schleich.

To view the range of Schleich prehistoric animal figures: Schleich Dinosaur Models.

Foundation Stage Through to Upper Key Stage 2

Learning about life in the past and fossils intersects with the learning programmes of many Year groups within the new curriculum. For example, Year 3 children have the opportunity to learn about rocks and fossils and Year 6 pupils are challenged to study natural selection, adaptation and evolution. For younger children, building a term topic with a science theme can start with asking an intriguing question posed from the child’s point of view (the child’s context). An example of this is the question why would a dinosaur not make a good pet?

Dinosaurs as Pets

Ironically, as birds are technically dinosaurs, many dinosaurs make excellent pets, just ask a pigeon fancier, but that’s not quite the point. Although we, at Everything Dinosaur do build in the dinosaur/bird link into our workshop activities, feathers and all. The question can form the basis of a varied and exciting programme of discovery that links nicely across the curriculum. Many teaching teams use the “learning challenge” method, whereby, a different question related to the term topic is explored each week. For example:

Term Topic Question – Why Would a Dinosaur not Make a Good Pet?

Week 1 question – What is a dinosaur?
2 question – When did dinosaurs live?
3 question – How do we know about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals?
4 question – What does a palaeontologist do?
5 question – What happened to the dinosaurs?
Week 6 summation – Would a dinosaur make a good pet?

Lots of Links to Literacy, Numeracy, History, Geography and Other Curriculum Elements

Lots of dinosaur and prehistoric animal facts on a poster.

Dinosaur facts compiled by Year 1 children.

Dinosaur Fascination

Children are fascinated with dinosaurs. Learning about dinosaurs can provide a teaching team with lots of lesson plan ideas. Lesson plans can be tailored to support literacy and numeracy.

To learn more about Everything Dinosaur: About Everything Dinosaur.

With Key Stage 1 children in particular, every opportunity should be taken when it comes to engaging the children and developing literacy and numeracy themes. However, children whatever their age, if they can be enthused and inspired by a topic then they will quickly pick up and cement life-long learning skills.

Visit the child-friendly Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.