The prehistoric reptiles known as dinosaurs once lived all over the earth. Some people believe they still do, but in a changed form. Just as humans and other animals have changed in appearance over time, dinosaurs appear to have grown smaller and developed new bird-like traits.
Fossil remains suggests that some dinosaurs, such as Velociraptor and Archaeopteryx, had feathers, and some dinosaurs had bird-like hips. Children can look for similarities in appearance as well as behaviors between modern flightless birds, such as chickens, emus, and ostriches, with drawings and fossils of theropods, such as the chicken-sized Compsognathus, and bird-hipped dinosaurs such as the fast sprinting Hypsilophodon.
A Virtual Tour of Children's Websites About Dinosaurs
At Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Dinosaurs Tour, kids get to follow along on one of Ms. Frizzle's famous field trips with Liz the lizard as the tour guide. The tour includes three stops: a game hosted by "Frizz TV" news, a video clip from "The Busasaurus" TV episode, and a quiz about dinosaurs. The tour introduces children to dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, from the huge Seismosaurus to the small Compsognathus, as well as to a couple of new discoveries that haven't yet received names (dozens found every year).
At the American Museum of Natural History's OLogy Paleontology website, kids get to explore "The Big Dig" and uncover fact cards and information along the way. Features include interviews with paleontologists, pictures of fossils, dinosaur-themed crafts to make, field exercises, games, dinosaur drawing instructions, and a quiz.
The Field Museum, FieldMuseum.org, provides several interactive journeys including "What lived with Sue?" (the world's largest, most complete T. rex skeleton) and "Tour Through Time," in which children can travel through 4 billion years of life on earth in a couple of minutes.
Activities and Information About Dinosaurs and Dragons
Much of what paleontologists know about dinosaurs, they figure out by studying fossils. To get a feel for fossils, children can create a replica out of clay. Jo Murphy gives a list of materials and instructions for making clay art fossils and incorporating history and science learning in her article, "How to Make Fossils with Primary Students."
If dinosaurs still exist in some form, did large dinosaurs ever live with man? Older children can follow along as Chasity Goddard asks, "Is it possible our literature, pottery and architecture have kept a record of man's encounters with living dinosaurs?" in her article, "Prehistoric Dinosaurs or Modern Dragons."
The Internet hosts many more stops for children on the trail of dinosaurs. New discoveries await for those who keep searching.
Related: The next stop on your virtual journey could be An Online Learning Adventure About Vikings.
References:
Wise, William. Dinsaurs Forever. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2000.
Burgan, Michael. Dino-Might! Norwalk, CT: Innovative Kids, 2000.
Reader's Digest. Pathfinders: Dinosaurs. San Francisco, CA: Weldon Owen, 1999.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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