‘Dinosaurs are the best way to teach kids, & adults, the immensity of geologic time!’
– Robert T. Bakker [Paleontologist]

Dino Splash!
The Dino Atelier created two life-sized dino cutouts for kids to replicate their idea of a dino. Kids could splash and paint them, decorate them with yarn, colored cellophane paper and they did the same to the mini dino cutouts that were spread around the provocation. Kids took these painted mini dinos home as they made new friends and were proud of their creations. This major outlet of expression and creativity for the children allowed them to perceive their unique vision of a dinosaur, they freely imagined and created that based on what they observed and explored during the provocations.

Let’s Get Gooey
The gooey slime setup in a tray replicated a swamp. The taste-safe green slime was made out of completely natural and recycled material. The gooey, sticky texture was fascinating and the color effect made kids curious about the dino swamp. They felt the texture and stickiness of the slime between their fingers. Kids engaged in pretend play by associating their daily routines with the dinosaurs, as they called it – giving ‘dino’s a bath in the slime tub’. The creative associations with their lifestyle allowed them to emotionally connect with the animals in their natural habitat. Stomping the dino’s in the swamp encouraged them to understand the nature of the swamp. Furthermore, kids used tools to sieve and mash the slime and the sago eggs. The enjoyment of searching for dinos and eggs was matched with practical learning throughout the provocation.

Rescue the Dinos
A play on object permanence and curious discoveries, colored yarn was wrapped around papermâché egg piñata which was unraveled by the kids. It was a holistic experience for the children to pull on the string, twirl it around, and unwrap the egg to search for what might be inside, creating giggles and grins.

Move It Like Dinos & Stomp & Rawr
Standing in a socially distanced circle, kids took turns to roll a big dice with different dinosaur actions The interactive and social element excited them about the theme as began to pretend to be dinosaurs. The kids were encouraged to move like dinosaurs – a prowl, a stretch, flapping of wings, stomp & roar – on the sound of music as marked on the dice too. Through the various actions, they continued to create movements throughout the exploration, as they developed sensorial and behavior associations through the visuals, sounds, and movements.
The Dino Feet Hopscotch was a pathway of big feet pointing in different directions, on which kids walked and hopped to reach the end, allowing them to follow instructions and complete their task. The scintillating and giant feet attracted and invited the kids to jump on them and they related to directions and built their perceptions.

Lava Dino-Mite
Exploring the concept of natural formations out of the Earth, kids created volcanoes out of mud, recycled water, and re-used tires to prepare for lava explosions. Just as the dinosaurs, erupting volcanoes are a concept since ancient times, and kids prepared their volcanoes in dino land on one day, to watch them erupt on the next day. Nature, science, geography, and history in the most fun way. As kids recalled their science experiments of fizzy explosions, they followed a similar method for the self-made volcanoes, to make lava erupt. As the first giant volcano erupted upon pouring the fizzy liquid, kids jumped back while grinning in excitement and surprise. The red colors and bubbles allowed them to express themselves at the moment, their confidence increases.

Look, I’m a Dino!
Kids stepped inside dino boxes created out of recycled cardboard to pretend to be them and even ride them around. As they walked and moved like dinos during the gross motor activities, kids imitated the movements, and RAWR sounds as they wore the dino headgear that mimicked the spines and scales.