Reception Dinosaurs
Dinosaur Families

Learn about fossilised dinosaur eggs; speculate about dinosaur families and their behaviour; consider ideas about dinosaur communication and sounds; make some dinosaur inspired instruments and music; record your ideas for the class website.

Session 1 Dino babies

Objectives

Early learning goals

  • Know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things
  • Make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
  • Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

Science

  • Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults.
  • Be introduced to the processes of reproduction and growth in animals.

History

  • Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative from the earliest times to the present day.
  • Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
  • Understand some of the ways in which we find out about the past and identify different ways in which it is represented.

Lesson Planning

Learn how dinosaurs began their lives, make your own dinosaur eggs and learn about the fossilisation process by making a messy fossil egg pudding. 

Children will:

  • Understand that fossilised eggs give information about how dinosaurs raised their young.
  • Ask questions, and build upon their knowledge of dinosaurs.
  • Experiment with design and materials to create/decorate dinosaur eggs.

Provided Resources

  • How to make messy fossil egg pudding
  • Decorating Dinosaur eggs
  • About Dinosaur nests
  • Role play: Communication space

You Will Need

  • A puppet dinosaur and crocodile
  • A basketball, grapefruit, potato, football, tennis ball and ping-pong ball

Session 2 We are family

Objectives

Early learning goals

  • Talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members.
  • Make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
  • Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

Science

  • Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults, be introduced to the processes of reproduction and growth in animals.

History

  • Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative from the earliest times to the present day.
  • Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.

D&T

  • Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks.

Lesson Planning

Look at family photographs, and think about why people and dinosaurs live/lived in groups; create dinosaur finger puppets and a T.Rex tooth… Don´t be scared! 

Children will:

  • Talk about and understand reasons why humans/dinosaurs live/lived in groups.
  • Understand how dinosaurs may have interacted.
  • Make dinosaur family finger puppets.

Provided Resources

  • How to make Dinosaur finger puppets
  • How to make T-Rex banana teeth
  • Dinosaur Drama
  • Finger gym ideas
  • Dino words

You Will Need

  • A family photograph

Session 3 Patchi's story

Objectives

Early learning goals

  • Sing songs, make music & dance, and experiment with ways of changing them.
  • Represent own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories.

Music

  • Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
  • Use voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.

Lesson Planning

Make sounds to go in a sound box; learn about Patchi and create sounds for a story and film. 

Children will:

  • Experiment making dinosaur sounds.
  • Use play experiences and knowledge of dinosaurs to invent music and sounds.

Provided Resources

  • Patchi's story
  • Making outdoor sounds
  • Making Lava slime
  • Dinosaur mission

You Will Need

  • A small cardboard boxes
  • Dino Dave puppet

Session 4 Prehistoric rock band

Objectives

Early learning goals

  • Sing songs, make music & dance, and experiment with ways of changing them.
  • Know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things.
  • Make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
  • Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

Music

  • Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
  • Use voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.

D&T

  • Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks.

Lesson Planning

Let´s rock! Become a prehistoric rock band; learn a song and add a new verse; for a grand finale perform your song which will go live on the school website! 

Children will:

  • Learn and perform The Prehistoric Animal Brigade.
  • Use dinosaur knowledge to invent a new song verse.
  • Make simple castanets and coffee can drums.

Provided Resources

  • Prehistoric Animal Brigade lyrics
  • How to make Dinosaur Castanets
  • How to make shaving foam/bead cupcakes
  • Make a Shape-a-saurus

You Will Need

  • Musical instruments