Hey there! Jessi, Squeaks, and their friend Dino just got a cool new book about dinosaurs. It has lots of pictures and fun facts about these amazing creatures that once roamed the Earth. Let’s dive into what they learned!
Some dinosaurs, like Stegosaurus and Triceratops, were plant eaters. Dino imagined them as friends enjoying a salad together. But they definitely wouldn’t hang out with meat-eaters like Allosaurus and T. Rex!
Jessi explained that even though all these dinosaurs lived during the “time of the dinosaurs,” they didn’t live at the same time. The dinosaur era lasted millions of years, and different dinosaurs lived in different periods.
Scientists have divided the dinosaur era into three parts:
To help understand how long ago these periods were, Jessi suggested using our bodies as a model. Imagine the bottom of your shoes as the start of the Triassic period. The Jurassic period would be from below your knee to around your hips, and the Cretaceous period would stretch from your hips to your chest. Humans have only been around for a tiny bit of time, just the top of your forehead!
We learn about dinosaurs through fossils, which are like clues left behind by ancient animals and plants. Fossils buried deep in the ground are older than those closer to the surface, just like paper at the bottom of a recycling bin is older than the paper on top.
Jessi, Squeaks, and Dino had a great time learning about dinosaurs. If you want to keep exploring with them, be sure to subscribe to their channel for more fun and learning!
Dinosaur Diet Detective: Go on a mini-adventure in your kitchen or garden to find foods that different dinosaurs might have eaten. Gather some leaves, fruits, or vegetables for plant-eating dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Triceratops. Then, think about what a meat-eating dinosaur like T. Rex might have hunted. Draw a picture of a dinosaur picnic with all the foods you found!
Time Travel Timeline: Create a simple timeline using a long piece of paper or string. Mark the three dinosaur periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Use small toys or drawings to represent different dinosaurs and place them on the timeline according to when they lived. This will help you see how dinosaurs were spread out over millions of years!
Fossil Fun: Make your own “fossils” using clay or playdough. Press leaves, small toys, or shells into the clay to create imprints, just like real fossils. Let them dry and then carefully dig them out, pretending you’re a paleontologist discovering dinosaur clues. Discuss what these “fossils” might tell us about the creatures that left them behind.
