This week during our summer enrichment program we are exploring our favorite prehistoric animals Dinosaurs! Through reading books, singing songs, & setting out different invitations to explore all things in the land before time through open ended play.
Invitation to Create a Dinosaur Party: After reading the story Saturday Night @ the Dinosaur Party by Carol Diggory Shields & Scott Nash which is about a jurassic gang that wanted to off some steam by dancing. They rocked & rolled, twirled and tromped & had themselves a Dinosaur Stomp.
We invited the children to create their own dinosaur party with playdough + loose parts. In a cupcake tin we placed pom poms, gemstones, acrylic rocks, flat marbles, rainbow wooden squares, sequins, mosaic tiles, feathers, pipe cleaners, & party beads. We also provided balloon cake toppers, mini party hats, + playdough. The children were invited to create whatever they desired.
Dinosaur Ice Excavation: Freezing any type of toys, loose parts, or special ingredients always makes for a great way to explore science through a multi layer approach.
We froze dinosaurs in balloons with water and provided water mixed with liquid watercolors + twisty droppers. The children were invited to experiment and explore how to excavate & release the dinosaurs from the ice.
The children worked together using different techniques of squirting water or pouring water to release the dinos. They were able to discuss & collaborate on how to make the ice go from a solid to liquid state through a lot of trial and error. Even with all that experimenting with science, there was also a lot of water & sensory play, cognitive + fine motor development all packed into this invitation!
Invitation to Explore Mary Anning Excavation Site: Before inviting the children to become Paleontologists we read the story Dinosaur Lady, which explores the daring discoveries of Mary Anning, the first female Paleontologist.
In the Tuff Tray we set up rocks, sand, dinosaur bones + skeletons, fossils, shells, magnifying glasses, paint brushes, shovels and shifters. In two sensory bins we placed dinosaur skeleton molds, fossils, and bones. The children were invited to explore the excavation site just like Mary Anning.
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