Objective

By the end of this lesson, Michael will be able to identify different types of dinosaurs, understand what they ate, and express his creativity through fun activities related to dinosaurs.

Materials and Prep

• Imagination and creativity!
• Space to move around for activities.
• Michael's favorite dinosaur toys (if available).
• Paper and crayons for drawing.
• Storytime area for reading about dinosaurs.

Activities

• Dinosaur Dance Party: Start the lesson with a fun dance party! Play some music and pretend to be different dinosaurs. Can Michael stomp like a T-Rex or flap his arms like a Pterodactyl?

• Draw Your Favorite Dinosaur: After dancing, sit down with paper and crayons. Ask Michael to draw his favorite dinosaur and explain what it looks like. Is it big? Small? What color is it?

• Dinosaur Story Time: Read a short dinosaur story together. Ask Michael questions about the story to see what he remembers. What did the dinosaurs do? Who was his favorite character?

• Dinosaur Dig: Pretend to be paleontologists! Use your hands to dig in the “dirt” (the floor) to find hidden dinosaur toys. Talk about how real paleontologists find dinosaur bones.

Talking Points

• "Did you know that dinosaurs lived a long, long time ago? They roamed the Earth before people were here!"
• "Some dinosaurs were really big, like the Brachiosaurus, and some were small, like the Compsognathus. What do you think is the biggest dinosaur?"
• "Dinosaurs ate different foods. Some were herbivores and ate plants, like the Stegosaurus. Others were carnivores and ate meat, like the T-Rex. What do you think your favorite dinosaur ate?"
• "Paleontologists are scientists who study dinosaurs. They dig in the ground to find bones and learn about how dinosaurs lived. Would you like to be a paleontologist?"