Hello there, curious minds!
My name’s Esther and today I’m going to take you on a dinosaur discovery! Ensure to have your magnifying glass ready! We are going to search for fossils, the secret clues to our past!
We learn about dinosaurs from fossils. Fossils are the preserved remains of plants and animals. They are bones, teeth, and even footprints, that have been buried over millions of years. By studying these fossils, scientists can piece together what dinosaurs looked like, where they come from, how they moved, and even what they ate!
Isn’t it mind blowing? Everything we know about dinosaurs come from Fossils.
Dinosaurs ruled Earth for millions of years, but sadly, they’re no longer around. Scientists believe their reign ended about 66 million years ago. There are a few different theories about what happened:
- Giant Rock from Space: The leading theory is that a giant rock, like a super big meteor, smashed into Earth. This crash would have caused massive dust clouds, blocking the sun and making it hard for plants to grow.
- Volcanic Booms: Another idea is that giant volcanic eruptions happened around the same time. These eruptions could have also filled the air with dust and changed the climate in a way that wasn’t good for dinosaurs.
Even though they’re gone, scientists are still learning more about these amazing creatures all the time thanks to fossils! What about you? How do you think dinosaurs went extinct, do you have any theory?
Did you know that not all dinosaurs ate the same food? Some dinosaurs were like giant vacuum cleaners for plants, munching on leaves and grass all day long. These plant-eating dinosaurs are called herbivores. Other dinosaurs were meat-eaters, with sharp teeth and claws for catching prey. These dinosaurs are called carnivores.
Activity Time: Travel the world with dinos!
Have you ever wondered where these amazing creatures roamed? What they eat and what some looked like? It’s time to grab our magnifying glasses and track down our favorite dinosaurs:
- Make cards with dinosaur pictures and names.
- Use a world map! Mark continents
- Flip cards face down. Take turns flipping one from the pile.
- Match a dino to its continent!
- Keep matched pairs (continent and dinosaur)
- Most matches win!
Bonus: Guess what each dinosaur eats.
Are they Herbivore or Carnivore?
Remember, we know their locations based on where we found the fossils!
Don’t worry. Just because dinosaurs are extinct doesn’t mean we cannot see them! Although they’re gone, dinosaurs are still super cool!
Would you like to be a dino detective and learn more? Here in Paris, we have a fantastic place to start our investigation: the National Museum of Natural History (French: Musée National d’Histoire Naturelle). It’s one of the biggest museums in the world for studying nature, and dinosaurs are a big part of the story! They have an enormous collection of dinosaur fossils, including a giant cast of a Diplodocus skeleton that will knock your socks off!
