Personal Development and Welfare

Audience: Young people (ages 8-12)
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Objective: Introduce participants to palaeontology, the study of dinosaurs, and basic concepts of Earth science through hands-on activities. Participants will learn about the different types of dinosaurs, fossil formation, and how scientists’ study prehistoric life.

Session Overview

1. Introduction to Dinosaurs (10 minutes)
   Objective: Familiarize participants with dinosaurs and palaeontology.
• Brief discussion about what dinosaurs are and when they lived (Mesozoic Era).
• Introduce the concept of fossils and how they are important for learning about prehistoric life.
• Show pictures or models of different dinosaurs and discuss their unique features (herbivores vs carnivores, large vs small, bipedal vs quadrupedal).
2. Activity 1: Digging for Dinosaur Fossils (20-25 minutes)
   Objective: Simulate a paleontological dig and learn about the process of uncovering fossils.
• Materials: Sand, small plastic dinosaur bones or fossil replicas, brushes, small shovels or spoons, trays.
• Instructions:
1. Set up a "dig site" by burying dinosaur bones or fossils in trays filled with sand.
2. Provide participants with tools (brushes, shovels) and let them carefully excavate the fossils.
3. As they uncover bones, encourage them to think about what kind of dinosaur they might belong to.
• Science Explanation: Discuss how palaeontologists carefully uncover fossils and what they can learn from the bones (size, diet, etc.). Explain the process of fossilization—how organic material is replaced by minerals over millions of years.
3. Activity 2: Dinosaur Footprint Experiment (15-20 minutes)
   Objective: Learn how scientists use dinosaur footprints (trace fossils) to understand dinosaur behaviour and size.
• Materials: Modelling clay or playdough, small toy dinosaur models, rulers, paper, pens.
• Instructions:
1. Flatten a piece of clay to simulate soft earth.
2. Use toy dinosaurs to press footprints into the clay.
3. Measure the size of the footprints and distance between them.
4. Estimate how big the dinosaur might have been based on its footprint size (for larger dinosaurs, you could multiply the size to simulate a real dino print).
• Science Explanation: Explain how scientists study fossilized footprints to learn about how fast dinosaurs moved, how big they were, and whether they traveled in groups.
4. Activity 3: Build Your Own Dinosaur (20-25 minutes)
   Objective: Use creativity and knowledge of dinosaur anatomy to design a unique dinosaur species.
• Materials: Paper, pencils, crayons or markers, dinosaur fact sheets (for reference).
• Instructions:
1. Explain that different dinosaurs evolved in different ways depending on their environment and diet.
2. Challenge participants to create their own dinosaur by drawing it and labelling its features.
3. Encourage them to think about whether their dinosaur is an herbivore or carnivore, what its habitat might be, and how it would defend itself or hunt for food.
• Science Explanation: Discuss how evolution led to different dinosaurs adapting to their environments. Talk about features like claws, sharp teeth, long necks, etc., and how they helped specific dinosaurs survive.
5. Activity 4: Dinosaur Timeline (15-20 minutes)
   Objective: Learn about the geological time scale and when dinosaurs lived.
• Materials: Long piece of paper or string, sticky notes, markers.
• Instructions:
1. Draw a timeline that represents the Mesozoic Era, divided into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
2. Label the timeline with major events (first dinosaurs, extinction event).
3. Assign different participants different types of dinosaurs and have them place their dinosaur in the correct period on the timeline.
• Science Explanation: Explain the different time periods of the Mesozoic Era and how dinosaurs evolved over millions of years.
6. Wrap-up & Reflection (10-15 minutes)
• Recap what the group has learned about dinosaurs, fossils, and the work of palaeontologists.
• Encourage participants to share their favourite activity or something new they learned.
• Discuss how scientists continue to discover new information about dinosaurs every day and encourage interest in Earth sciences.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Understand what dinosaurs are and when they lived.
• Learn about fossils and how they are formed.
• Explore the work of palaeontologists through hands-on excavation and footprint analysis.
• Practice creativity and problem-solving by designing their own dinosaurs.

Materials Needed:

• Sand, plastic dinosaur bones/fossils, brushes, small shovels/spoons, trays.
• Modelling clay or playdough, toy dinosaur models, rulers.
• Paper, pencils, crayons or markers.
• Long piece of paper or string for the timeline, sticky notes.

Additional Resources:

• Images of different dinosaurs and fossils for reference.
• Fact sheets on famous dinosaurs (e.g., T-Rex, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus).
• Books or videos on palaeontology and recent dinosaur discoveries.

This session plan provides an engaging, interactive way to teach young participants about the fascinating world of dinosaurs, combining science with hands-on activities and creative thinking.