Fossils and Dinosaurs Facilitated Visit, designed for children in Key Stage 2 groups:

Learning Objectives:

  • Consider what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur by handling, investigating and grouping range of fossils (real and replica).

  • Explore and talk about the type of marine fossils discovered in the Stroud District to broaden the scientific understanding of the world around us.

  • Discover how fossils were formed in rocks.

  • Continue to develop speaking and listening skills.

  • Develop and use vocabulary to discuss and to ask and answer questions.

Activities during the day:

Morning In the morning 3 groups would usually rotate around these activities, spending approximately 30 mins on each:

Questioning Session. Led by a member of museum staff, children will identify and group a group of fossils to discuss what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur. We’ll encourage learning through speaking and listening and encourage children to build specialist vocabulary.

Object Handling Session. An opportunity for sensory investigation of marine fossils discovered in the area, encouraging learning through speaking and listening and asking questions.

Dinosaur and Fossil Discovery Trail. A chance for children to explore the museum galleries. Groups can use a printed trail prepared by the museum to explore the fossils on display in the museum collection. See the sharp teeth in the Steneosarus jaw and the huge bones of the Megalosaurus dinosaur, as well as ammonites and fish fossils.

Afternoon

In the afternoon 2 groups would swap between these activities, spending approximately 30 mins on each:

A dramatic retelling of how fossils were formed, followed by a challenge to use fossils, models and pictures to build a simple timeline of ‘what lived when and where’.

A short fossil walk using both fossils and the natural world near Museum in the Park to consider how the landscape has changed since the time of the dinosaurs, how we know. The walk includes looking at and thinking about the relationship between modern plants and animals and those from prehistory.

At the end of the day, the whole group gathers, spending about 20 mins in total reviewing the day, what we have seen, done, talked about.

Curriculum Links: Science, English

Find out more about our Exploring Rocks and Fossils Remote Learning Package.