Dinosaur Lesson Plan for Math and Science
Skill Based Lesson Activities for Preschoolers
Dec 28, 2008
Incorporate these fun educational ideas in your Dinosaur Theme Unit that preschoolers will enjoy participating in while learning all about dinosaurs through math and science. Introduce the subject during Circle Time with facts each day about a different dinosaur.
Dinosaur Math Activities
There are several ways to encourage math skills with this theme unit, and below are just a few in which you can use with your preschoolers.
Dinosaur Felt Board Song
Ahead of time, prepare a dinosaur pattern (blue) to laminate and velcro for felt board use. For additional pieces (also blue), make one egg, then two eggs (attached), three eggs (attached), four eggs (attached) and for the row of five eggs, have a dinosaur head hatching out of the top half of the shell. Make a set of five top halves (attached) to hide the hatchlings until the end of the song. For a visual aid, scroll to the picture below. If desired, also create a tree to go along with the song.
(to the tune of “This Old Man”)
Di-no-saur
She laid one
She laid one egg then was done
Chorus:
Oh-oh she lays dino eggs
Lays them one by one
She lays eggs until she’s done.
Di-no-saur
She laid two
She laid two eggs that were blue
Repeat Chorus
Di-no-saur
She laid three
She laid three eggs by a tree
Repeat Chorus
Di-no-saur
She laid four
She laid four eggs not one more
Repeat Chorus
Di-no-saur
She laid five
She laid five that hatched Alive! (remove top egg shells to reveal babies)
Further the felt board activity by providing several different types of dinosaurs with eggs that match their colors. Encourage children during center time to match the eggs with the same color dinosaur.
Dinosaur File Folder Game
File Folder Games are a great way to further your preschoolers learning experiences by learning through play. The great thing about them is the freedom of creativity. One idea for a dino file folder game for math is matching numbered eggs to dotted dino’s. In the folder, have 10 dinosaur patterns glued with each having a different number of dots 1 –10. Have egg pieces as the manipulatives, numbered each separately with the numerals 1 – 10. You can go even further by exacto cutting over the dinosaur’s belly and gluing the eggs on popsicle sticks for your preschoolers to stick the eggs in instead of placing them over the pattern.
Dinosaur Science Activities
The Dinosaur theme unit is one of the best lesson plans to embrace the subject of science. There are a plethora of ideas available to you on the internet. First School includes free dinosaur patterns plus some other great ideas, as well as Preschool Rainbow.
Dinosaur Facts Chart
Use a Poster Board for this activity to create a Facts Chart with your preschoolers answers about each question. Use a different chart for each question. Some questions to ask are:
- What kind of skin does a dinosaur wear? (have options like feather, hair, scales, fur)
- What does a dinosaur feel like? (bumpy or smooth)
- What did dinosaurs eat? (bugs, plants, other dinosaurs, cake – have fun!)
Record each child’s answer next to his or her name on the chart. Add math to this activity by having the student’s help you determine which answer was chosen the most and which the least, use a graph to illustrate.
Dinosaur Digging Sensory Table
Provide digging tools, plastic dinosaurs, “fossils” (plastered patterns, or broken shells) underneath a bunch of sand. Make sure to have a thick paintbrush to dust off the fossils with!
Dinosaur Science with Sizes
Find the following dinosaur patterns on the First School link above. Using your computer’s paint program, make the pattern as big as you can print it. Color and label each type with their species and size (listed below) then laminate.
- Ornitholestes – 6 feet
- Camptosaurus – 15 feet
- Stegosaurus – 20 feet
- Tyrannosaurus rex – 40 feet
- Apatosaurus – 80 feet
Now either find a picture of a refrigerator or draw one yourself and make several copies. Most refrigerators are around 6 feet. On a wall or bulletin board, display the dinosaurs with room next to each to tape how many refrigerators it would make to reach the height of each dinosaur.
You can further this theme unit with Dinosaur Reading and Art Activities.
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