Campers took a step back in time to learn all about dinosaurs this week! Campers used their sleuthing skills to try and figure out some mysteries about dinosaurs!
On Monday, campers learned about dinosaur adaptations. First, they talked about the purpose of the stegosaurus back plates and came up with some of their own theories. They then made their own back plates that they got to wear for the rest of the day!
Then, campers learned about characteristics of dinosaurs and some of the misconceptions of dinosaurs. They learned that a pterosaur was not a dinosaur, but they still got to make their own paper plane pterosaurs! The red group helped each other out to fold their planes!
Later, campers learned about how scientists believe that dinosaurs actually had feathers! After, they made their own feathered dinosaurs out of modeling clay.
To end the day campers had the opportunity to look at some hands on objects, like dinosaur claws and a stegosaurus back plates. Our campers are definitely dinosaur experts!
On Tuesday, campers solved some fossil mysteries! They started the day by taking a tour of the Evolution Gallery and looking at some of the fossils we have. Next, campers looked at fossil evidence to determine if a dinosaur had been killed or died naturally. It showed the campers that they can learn a lot from fossils!
After, campers created their own fossil dig site and created a dinosaur skeleton out of pasta. They then shared with their group, what kind of dinosaur it was, what it ate, and where it was found.
Some finished masterpieces!
Campers finished the day with T. rex wood puzzles. Campers practiced the same skills that real paleontologists do when they put together a dinosaur skeleton.
On Wednesday, campers learned about dinosaur teeth and diets. They started the day by looking at some hands on objects! Many of the campers already knew which teeth came from what dinosaurs, we have some dinosaur experts on our hands!
Next, campers got creative and painted plaster molds of dinosaur teeth! The campers chose between a T. rex tooth or a Spinosaurus tooth!
Later, campers worked to identify which dinosaurs were herbivores and which dinosaurs were carnivores. They also tried to figure out which dinosaurs lived in which periods. They put all of this information into their dinosaur lap book! They finished the activity by learning about the late Cretaceous food pyramid and also put this information in their lap book.
On Thursday, campers learned about dinosaur footprints, track ways and the size of dinosaurs. Campers started the day by searching campus for dinosaur track ways. They then had to be detectives and try to determine what happened at the location long ago. When they came back to the museum, campers made their own dinosaur tracks and stories.
Campers then learned about the size of dinosaurs. They learned some cool facts about what dinosaur was the biggest and which were the smallest. They modeled this by going outside and drawing out the dinosaur sizes with chalk!
Later, campers played a dinosaur toss game where they had to throw a bean bag into a circle. However, the catch was that they circles got smaller as the dinosaurs in the certain got smaller too!
To finish the day, campers tried to see if they could outrun a dinosaur! They measured out how many steps it would take for them to go the same distance as a T. rex taking one step. The campers quickly found out that it would be nearly impossible to outrun a dinosaur!
On our last day of dinosaur camp, campers talked about where all the dinosaurs went! They started the day by talking about some extinction theories about dinosaurs and followed this up with creating their own cartoon about what they think happened to the dinosaurs.
Later, campers learned how some dinosaurs slowly died out over time during our dinosaur extinction game. They learned that there may have been many factors that caused some dinosaurs to die out.
After, the older campers worked as a team to put together a big wooden dinosaur skeleton while the younger campers worked to put together dinosaur floor puzzles. The campers even got to make habitats for their giant dinosaurs!
Campers finished dinosaur week by digging in the dig box! Campers dug for dinosaur skeletons!
