Welcome to week two of our Adventures in Preschool Learning: Dinosaurs series! This week, we’re diving into hands-on science with the preschool team at St. James Academy.

Last week, we read “If the Dinosaurs Came Back” and created artwork depicting what would happen if dinosaurs roamed the Earth today. But what did the earth look like long ago when the dinosaurs roamed? 

The American Museum of Natural History website is a great place to start exploring dinosaurs  — and their habitats — with your preschooler.  Talk to them about what the Earth looked like when dinosaurs roamed and then look at different dinosaurs with them. Were the dinosaurs herbivores or carnivores? What adaptations helped them protect themselves? 

Pull out whatever dinosaur books you have lying around the house and ask your child to look at the pictures. What do they notice about the environment that the dinosaurs live in? 

Now it’s time to build a dinosaur habitat! Don’t worry — you have these materials lying around the house. 

Adventures in Preschool Learning: DINOSAURS!

Activity: Build a Dinosaur Habitat!

Materials

Plastic Dinosaurs
Play Dough
Popsicle Sticks
Stones
Colored Pasta Noodles
Sticks

Adventures in Preschool Learning: DINOSAURS!

Instructions

If you don’t have a child-size collection of sticks and rocks on hand (and we know many of you do!), head outside to collect natural elements to build a dinosaur habitat. 

Assemble the materials on the table. Ask your child to select a dinosaur and build a habitat (or home) for the dinosaur using playdough to anchor the objects.

Adventures in Preschool Learning: DINOSAURS!

When they’re finished, ask them to tell you about their habitat. Be sure to ask open-ended questions — you’re sure to get a good story!

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR: ST. JAMES ACADEMY’S PREK PROGRAM

Experiential learning is a hallmark of the PreK program at St. James Academy. As an integrated part of St. James’ Program, PreK students have the opportunity to utilize and enjoy the benefits of an 89-acre campus. The program offers the added value of a Kindergarten-Grade Eight experience, which allows students to make connections across grade levels and engage in real-life experiences. Their PreK classes are designed based on the Reggio-Emilia philosophy, a child-centered educational approach that embraces open-ended questioning, project-based learning, and lots of movement. Students begin each day with movement and play while developing those important skills of sharing and caring about their peers. They enjoy circle time, projects, literature, outdoor play/nature explorations, snack and lunch, story time, and rest, and they end each day with more movement. St. James Academy also understands the needs of an academic PreKindergarten program, so within the experiential, they are weaving the academic building blocks that all students need to succeed as they move into older grades. They also understand the variety of learning styles children bring and their approach differentiates for each child’s readiness. Each week is enhanced by a host of extracurricular offerings such as world language exploration, library, art, physical education, music, and chapel. Yearlong enriched experiences include assemblies, field trips, guest speakers, and participation in school-wide community service projects. LEARN MORE