We had a great time learning all about dinosaurs this week! Campers learned about the diet, habitat, and extinction of dinosaurs, and are officially “junior paleontologists.”
On Monday, we covered dinosaur basics. Campers learned the four “rules” to consider when deciding if something is a dinosaur or not (1. Doesn’t live in the water, 2. Doesn’t have fur, 3. Doesn’t do “funny pushups,” and 4. Doesn’t fly during the time that dinosaurs were alive – birds are dinosaurs but pterosaurs are not). After learning these guidelines, campers headed to the Evolution Gallery to put their skills to the test. They completed an ABCs of Dinosaurs scavenger hunt and identified some dinos (and some NOT dinos). Campers were also able to explore the process of naming dinosaurs and got to create their own dinosaurs based on what they learned. To close out the day, we made balancing paper plate dinosaurs.
On Tuesday, we dug deeper into the world of paleontology. Campers were able to meet a real life paleontologist in the Fossil Prep Lab. This was a great opportunity to have some tricky questions about dinosaurs answered. To learn more about the process of fossilization, our campers watched the “How to Become a Fossil” demo in the Science Forum. Then, we got some hands-on experience digging up fossils in the dig box. Campers had so much fun with the dig box and found some really unique objects. We finished the day by putting together a 3D T. rex puzzle.
On Wednesday, our campers got to explore the diet of dinosaurs. Up in the Evolution Gallery, we touched some dinosaur teeth and learned about tooth sizes and shapes. Then, it was time to explore our own teeth and their functions using a carrot. We learned that different types of teeth have different jobs, and that is the same for dinosaurs! Some dinosaurs also use gastroliths to help with their digestion, so campers were able to replicate this process using leaves, rocks, and water. For today’s craft, we made dinosaur diet diorama boxes. Our campers were so creative and made so many unique habitats.
On Thursday, it was time to study the extinction of dinosaurs. We started the day by heading to the planetarium to watch Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs? After watching the film, we learned about other theories of extinction and created our own extinction theories comic page. Campers then played The Extinction Game, where they practiced competing with each other for resources like food and water to see who would survive in an extinction event. Later, campers enjoyed playing with oobleck and learning about the La Brea Tar Pits.
On Friday, we investigated the size and traits of dinosaurs. Campers were able to learn about dinosaur adaptations by touching casts of dinosaur objects in the Evolution Gallery. Then, we explored the size of dinosaurs, both their heights and footprints. Campers compared their own footprints to those of T. rex and Apatosaurus and then used string to measure the height of several dinosaurs. Outside the museum, several sets of fossil trackways (made of chalk) magically appeared overnight, and campers were able to check out these footprints and make guesses about the dinosaurs that left them behind. To close out a fantastic week of paleontology, we made triceratops costumes.
We had so much fun with your camper this week and hope they did too! If we won’t be seeing you for another session, have a great rest of your summer.