Activities to help you learn more about dinosaurs

Difficulty: Explorer (Level 1)

Dinosaurs lived 252 to 66 million years ago, during the Mesozoic Era. Our world today looks very different.

In the same way that modern animals look distinct from each other, so did dinosaurs. For example, whales have different physical features that suit where they live, their habitat and what they eat.

Herbivore dinosaurs only ate plants. They usually lived in forests with lots of greenery. Carnivores, like the Tyrannosaurus rex, lived in open plains and grasslands. These were large spaces that allowed them to spot smaller animals for meals.

Dinosaurs also had different patterns on their skin. Most had dry, scaly and tough skin to protect them. But more recent fossil findings show that some dinosaurs had feathers to keep them warm!

Let’s collect some dinosaur facts and paint our own.

Some dinosaurs lived in places with lots of greenery. Photo: Shutterstock

Dino detective

The Mesozoic era is divided into three time periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Each period had its own unique dinosaurs. Use the internet or an informative book to identify one dinosaur from each period. Then, copy the table below and fill it out.

Dino design

Materials

• scrap pieces of cardboard or styrofoam

• paint and paintbrushes

• a black marker

• scissors

• plain white paper

Some dinosaurs had reptile-like skin that was dry, scaly and tough. Photo: Shutterstock

Instructions

Think of the dinosaur facts you have learned. What did their skin look like? It was probably textured. To recreate this, we will need material with a pattern.

1. Make sure your material has a texture to it that is not just flat. With styrofoam, if you break a cup or box, you should see small balls that look like beads. For cardboard, you might have to peel off an upper layer to reveal the stripes underneath.

2. Use a paintbrush to add paint to your textured material. Feel free to use different colours!

3. While the paint is still wet, flip the material over and press the painted part onto the plain white paper. Press firmly to make sure it transfers.

4. Use the black marker to draw an outline of any dinosaur you like. Then, ask an adult to help you cut it out with scissors.

5. Finally, use the black marker to add details like teeth, eyes and claws to your dinosaur.