Kid Paleontologists: Dinosaur Collectors' Club Level 3: Even MORE Ancient Beasts

Calling all dinosaur and fossil lovers!
If you spend your free time watching Netflix documentaries about dinosaurs, watching dino-themed TV shows, pouring over dinosaur books, playing with dinosaur toys, and wishing YOU could travel to Jurassic World, then this is the club for you!

**NOTE:  We have THREE age-groups/levels for this class series.  There is some overlap in age range, as some students may do better in the younger groups and some may prefer the older groups.  If you need help decided which is the best for your child, please reach out via private message. Other than age group preference, there is no pre-requisite to join any of these courses and they can be taken in any order.**

Each week, the instructor will present a brief lesson about a featured prehistoric creature of my choosing.  If the featured creature is a repeat from a different class of mine, the content and approach will be different, so you don't have to worry about it being too much "the same."  

**This particular level will focus less on dinosaurs (don't worry--there will still be plenty of them!) and more on other types of ancient animals, such as those that came before the dinosaur age, lesser-known animals from the Mesozoic, and species that evolved after the dinosaurs went extinct.**

We will practice our scientific observation skills by examining illustrations of our PCOTW (Prehistoric Creature of the Week) together, looking at special attributes of each individual dinosaur.  Once we have shared our observations, students will draw (or color the provided coloring page) the dinosaur in their "field guide" journal and label it.  Weekly printed fact sheets will be provided, which students may cut out and add to their journals, as well. 

The remainder of the class will be spent exchanging dinosaur facts, sharing favorite dinosaur and ancient animal toys and books, and generally "geeking out" about dinosaurs and other extinct species together.  We will also occasionally play related interactive games, age-appropriate movement activities, and more (see below).  Students will be encouraged to bring something dino-related to share each week (toys, books, facts, etc), and will also occasionally be provided extension activities between meetings.

In each short, introductory lesson, students will learn about the weekly featured dinosaur through a variety of approaches, such informational texts, informative slides, age-appropriate video clips, graphics, and more.  We will also intermittently add playful learning activities such as: building and sculpting, movement activities, games, discussion, repetition and more.  Vocabulary words such as paleontologist, herbivore, carnivore, timeline, epoch, age, Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, Proterozoic and Archeozoic, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, fossil, bipedal, quadrupedal,  prehistoric, extinction, geology, scavenger, and more will be introduced and used during these interactive, engaging lessons.

***Access to a color printer is required for this course. ***

This is an ongoing, year-long course.  It meets year round with a few breaks for holidays and some "Fun Weeks" mixed in to connect more socially and play games to practice what we know and what we've learned.  You can join in at any time and stay for as many weeks as you want.  The content repeats approximately every year--so, if you join in January (or October, or May, etc) you can expect new material every week for about 12 months, at which point you can either stay and repeat, or choose another dino class of mine to continue the journey!

Upcoming themes (subject to change and posted in the classroom a day before each meeting):
FALL 2023:
Week of October 1: Titanaboa (NO CLASS Friday, 10/6)
Week of October 8: (NO CLASS Monday 10/9 and Tuesday 10/10) Titanaboa
Week of October 15:  Dire Wolf
Week of October 22: Dimetrodon
Week of October 29: Terror Birds
Week of November 5: NO CLASS
Week of November 12:  Cave Bears
Week of November 19:  (NO CLASS due to Thanksgiving holiday)
Week of November 26: Livyatan melvillei
Week of December 3:  Estemmenosuchus
Week of December 10: Trilobites
Week of December 17:  Cave Lion
Week of December 24: NO CLASS
Week of December 31: NO CLASS

WINTER 2024:
Week of January 8: DINO FUN WEEK
Week of January 14: Megaloceros, the Irish Elk
Week of January 21: Wooly Mammoth
Week of January 28:  Sinoceratops
Week of February 4:  Glyptodon
Week of February 11: Monday class: FUN WEEK! Games, sharing, and challenges to practice what we know. Friday class: Glyptodon
Week of February 18:  Sarcosuchus
Week of February 25: Monolophosaurus (NO CLASS Friday, 3/1)
Week of March 3: Monolophosaurus (NO CLASS Monday, 3/4)
Week of March 10:  Dunkleosteus
Week of March 17: Sabor Toothed Cats (Smilodon)
Week of March 24: DINO FUN WEEK (NO CLASS Friday, March 29)
Week of March 31:DINO FUN WEEK (NO CLASS Monday 4/1 and Tuesday 4/2)
Week of April 7: Giraffatitan

SPRING 2024:
Week of April 14: Hatzegopteryx
Week of April 21: Paraceratherium
Week of April 28: NO CLASS
Week of May 5: Megatherium
Week of May 12:NO CLASS
Week of May 19: Helicoprion
Week of May 26: : PREHISTORIC FUN WEEK
Week of June 2: Megalodon
Week of June 10: NO CLASS
Week of June 16: Dracorex
Week of June 23: Thanatotheristes
Week of June 30: Eohippus(NO CLASS July 4)

SUMMER 2024:
Week of July 7: DINO FUN WEEK
Week of July 14: Tiktaalik
Week of July 21: Mapusaurus
Week of July 28: Thanos (the dinosaur)
Week of August 4: NO CLASSES
Week of August 11: Opabinia
Week of August 18: NO CLASSES
Week of August 25: Meganeura and Arthropleura
Week of Sept 1: NO CLASSES
Week of Sept 8: Diplocaulus
Week of Sept 15: Eurypterid
Week of Sept 22: Indohyus
Week of Sept 29: Archaeotherium

FALL 2024:
Week of October 6: Leptocyon Monday-Wednesday
Week of October 13: NO CLASS on Monday due to US Indigineous Peoples holiday; Fall Prehistoric FUN WEEK Tues-Friday
Week of October 20: Titanaboa
Week of October 27:  Dire Wolf
Week of November 3: Dimetrodon
Week of November 10: Terror Birds
Week of November 17:  Terror Birds "take 2"
Week of November 24:   Cave Bears
Week of December 1: Livyatan melvillei
Week of December 8:  Estemmenosuchus
Week of December 15: Trilobites
Week of December 22:  NO CLASS
Week of December 29: NO CLASS

WINTER 2025:
Week of January 5: FUN WEEK
Week of January 12: Megaloceros, the Irish Elk
Week of January 19: Wooly Mammoth
Week of January 26: Sinoceratops
Week of February 2:  Glyptodon
Week of February 9:  

Future Themes TBD with the input of existing students.  All themes are subject to change at the teacher's discretion and will be updated in the active classroom posts.