A Dazzling Diabloceratops Drawing

Our thanks to Caldey for sending into Everything Dinosaur a superb drawing of the horned dinosaur Diabloceratops. Knowledgeable dinosaur fans like Caldey, know that there were lots of horned dinosaurs (Ceratopsians), in fact, over seventy different species of horned dinosaur have been named to date, numerous new genera have been erected in the last twenty years or so.

Caldey’s Impressive Diabloceratops Drawing

 Picture credit: Caldey

Diablocertops eatoni

Diabloceratops is one of those genera of horned dinosaurs erected this century.  It was described and named in 2010 from fossilised skull material found in Utah (Wahweap Formation), back in 2002.  Although a member of the Ceratopsia, since it was classified as a member of the subfamily Centrosaurinae, Diabloceratops was only distantly related to the famous Triceratops.

We think the inspiration behind Caldey’s excellent drawing was the recently introduced Schleich Diabloceratops dinosaur model.

The Schleich Diabloceratops Dinosaur Model

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

View the Schleich prehistoric animal model range: Schleich Prehistoric Animal Models.

Our thanks to Caldey for sending into us this fabulous dinosaur drawing.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“It is always a pleasure to receive artwork from fans of dinosaurs.  Caldey’s attention to detail and careful illustration of the dinosaur is admirable.  It is a dazzling Diabloceratops drawing.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

A Schleich Plesiosaurus – A Flexible Friend

Schleich, the German-based model and figure manufacturer have added a Plesiosaurus to their range of prehistoric animals.  This little replica of an animal reminiscent of the legendary “Loch Ness Monster” measures a little over sixteen centimetres in length and it is great for creative, imaginative play.

The New for 2019 Schleich Plesiosaurus Marine Reptile Model

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Schleich Plesiosaurus – A Flexible Friend

The Plesiosaurus has a beautifully designed skin with very prominent scales, ideal for sensory play.  The figure has been designed for children from three years and older and it has been very skilfully painted.  Unlike most plastic prehistoric animal figures, this little plesiosaur has a flexible, bendy neck.  The head can be manoeuvred into lots of positions, it has certainly proved to be very popular with the budding, young palaeontologists who have had the chance to view this model already.

The Schleich Plesiosaurus Figure Used in a Prehistoric Landscape Display

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Although Plesiosaurs are famous for their long necks and relatively small heads, the necks of these fish-eaters were not that flexible.  The very largest of the Plesiosauria had more than seventy neck bones (cervical vertebrae), that is ten times what we have in our own necks.  However, studies have shown that the necks of these Mesozoic marine reptiles were not bendy, they could not hold their head up in a “swan-neck” posture.  This anatomical detail notwithstanding, the Schleich Plesiosaurus is great for imaginative play and it will make a lot of young learners very happy.”

To view the new for 2019 Schleich Plesiosaurus and the other models and figures in the Schleich “Conquering the Earth” range: Schleich Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals.

Outlining the Six Stages of Play

As teachers, we know that creative, imaginative play is very important to help young minds develop.  Our congratulations to Safari Ltd for helping to promote the six stages of play as identified by the American sociologist Mildred Parten who defined six stages of play during her extensive research examining how children develop their social skills.

Helping to Educate and Inform about the Importance of Play

Picture credit: Safari Ltd

Play is Very Important

Researchers such as Dr Parten noted that as children develop, their style of play alters.  She identified six, distinct stages of play, the first four or which are focused around individual play.  As children grow-up the way that they play changes.  The latter stages (Associative and Co-operative), involve more complex play with much more interaction with other children.

The Second Set of Play Stages (Stage 4 to Stage 6)

Picture credit: Safari Ltd

The Stages of Play and their Importance in the Classroom

Teaching teams working with Early Years (EYFS), know the importance of play.  It is not just a way for children to have fun but it is extremely important to help them develop and practice personal and social skills.  When we visit schools, we observe many examples of creative play having been devised by the teachers and their teaching assistants.  Structured play helps young minds to mature and helps children to interact with others and the wider world.

Our congratulations to Safari Ltd for publishing helpful literature on this important subject.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

A New Book All About Theropod Dinosaurs

At Everything Dinosaur, we do all we can to encourage children with their reading.  Books open doors and in our job we get the opportunity to read and review a huge range of science books all about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals.  We occasionally get asked to review fictional tales about dinosaurs, especially ones aimed at young readers.  Recently, the publishing team at the Natural History Museum asked us to provide a precis and review of a new book all about dinosaurs entitled “The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs The Theropods”.  This book was originally published in Spanish, but now it has been translated into a number of other languages.

The Front Cover of “The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs – The Theropods”

Teaching About Dinosaurs

When team members visit schools to deliver dinosaur and fossil themed workshops to classes, we discuss our work and the contribution we make to the publishing industry.  The children are most excited about this, especially when we mention that we get lots of free books!

To read our review of “The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs The Theropods”: A Review of the New Dinosaur Book (May 2019) “The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs – The Theropods”.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

An Inspiring School Thought for the Week

Whilst on a visit to a primary school to deliver a series of dinosaur and fossil themed workshops, an Everything Dinosaur team member spotted an inspiring thought for the week, a quotation from Sir David Attenborough.  Recently, the nonagenarian, naturalist and broadcaster has done a great deal to highlight global warming and climate change and the potential impact on our own species.  Posted up around the school and present in all the classrooms our staff member visited, was this quotation, helping to focus minds and to raise awareness.

Sir David Attenborough Provides an Inspirational Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week

The quotation from Sir David reads:

“Cherish the natural world, because you’re a part of it and you depend on it.”

For the senior leadership team within a school, the publishing of a thought for the week, or even a thought for the day, should not become merely a routine.  Such a policy, at its best, should provide the starting point for debate and conversation, helping to trigger the pupil’s thinking processes and to permit reflection.  Staff too can play an important role as reflective practitioners helping to shape the debate and discussion.  Such inspirational thoughts can promote change and a re-thinking of attitudes.

Posting up comments from leading thinkers can provide the stimulus for conversations about fundamental issues affecting us all.  On this topic, one of our favourite quotations is from Nelson Mandela:

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Young activists such as Greta Thunberg are helping to change attitudes and to shape thinking.  The next generation has a key role to play in shaping our relationship with the natural world and the use of a thought for the week policy in the school brings issues to the fore and promotes involvement in the wider debate.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

Everything Dinosaur Gets a Trade Mark

The Everything Dinosaur company has been granted a trade mark for its brand.  The granting of this trade mark status has meant that team members have had to update a number of images used on the Everything Dinosaur websites and social media pages.  For example, the company logo featured in the header area of this dinosaurs for schools site now has the symbol ® attached to it. An image of the Everything Dinosaur trademark has been reproduced below.

Everything Dinosaur Has Successfully Applied for a Trade Mark

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

What is a Trade Mark?

What is a trade mark?  How does this affect a company?  A trade mark is a sign that helps to distinguish the origin of goods and services from those of other companies.  For example, the logo demonstrates that the sales related to prehistoric animals and such like, that are the core business activities of Everything Dinosaur, come from this organisation.  A trade mark can take a variety of forms, it can be symbol, it can take the form of words, smells, logos, sounds, colours or a combination of the above.  However, the trade mark needs to be distinctive and acceptable.  The Everything Dinosaur trade mark is yet another indication of our long-term commitment to the market place.

The Everything Dinosaur Trade Mark

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“As a small, British company getting trade mark status is important to us, it provides a degree of protection for our business as well as providing assurance to our customer base with regards to our commitment to the market.”

Visit the award-winning and trade marked Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.