Children investigate what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur by sorting fossils, models, body parts, and modern animals, then using those observations to answer how fossils, size, and body structures help us learn about the past. Over six weeks, they build science understanding about living and nonliving things, habitats, adaptation, extinction, and Earth’s history through hands-on inquiry, discussion, and a Museum of Natural Sciences field trip. Students work toward creating a hallway dinosaur museum with a clay or playdoh dinosaur model, a fossil clue, a labeled body part, and a fact they can explain to others. The experience builds communication, collaboration, reflection, and early problem solving as children give feedback, revise ideas, and share their learning with older students during the Jurassic Junior Museum Walk.

Students will identify what makes something living or nonliving and use fossils, body parts, and size clues to explain what a dinosaur is. They will compare dinosaurs with modern animals to notice similarities, differences, habitats, group behavior, and how body parts helped animals survive in changing environments long ago. Students will build content knowledge about the history of dinosaurs, including major time periods, extinction, and what Earth materials and fossils tell us about the past. They will also practice speaking, listening, reflection, collaboration, and revision as they create and present a clay dinosaur model for the hallway museum.

Students will create ongoing products including living/nonliving sort charts, fossil observation sketches, dinosaur body-part comparison cards, size compare mats, and simple reflection drawings or recordings after partner feedback. Across the project, they will also build evidence pages for a class dinosaur inquiry journal using photos, labels, and teacher-dictated facts about fossils, habitats, body parts, and extinction. The final product is a hallway dinosaur museum featuring each child’s clay or playdoh dinosaur model, one fossil clue, one highlighted body part, and one learned fact. For the Jurassic Junior Museum Walk, students will use their display and a short oral presentation card to share what makes their dinosaur a dinosaur and what evidence helped them decide.

Begin with a Dino Discovery Day where children rotate through hands-on stations with fossil replicas, dinosaur body-part cards, footprint stamps, and size comparison mats to sort, touch, and talk about what makes something a dinosaur. Gather students for a mystery reveal by showing a “fossil clue box” and asking, “What is a dinosaur?” and “What can we learn about dinosaurs by comparing fossils, sizes, and body parts?” Invite a museum educator or preview the upcoming Museum of Natural Sciences field trip with photos and short video clips so students connect their classroom discoveries to real paleontologist work. End with a class chart of first ideas and wonderings that will guide the hallway dinosaur museum project.

Host a Jurassic Junior Museum Walk in the hallway where each kindergartener displays a clay or playdoh dinosaur model with one fossil clue, one labeled body part, and one fact learned about dinosaurs. Invite students from grades 1–4 to tour quietly, observe the displays, and ask presenters simple questions about dinosaur size, fossils, and how body parts helped the animal survive. Add a reflection stop where visitors turn and talk about which display taught them the most and why. If possible, include photos or sketches from the Museum of Natural Sciences field trip to connect students’ museum work to real fossils and paleontologist learning.