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Kelly
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| Posted: June 24 2005 at 11:12pm | IP Logged
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My dinosaur crazy 10 yo ds is setting up a week-long "Dino Camp" for his little brother and sisters, and the younger siblings of his pals. He is enlisting the help of two of his buddies. They are doing this from 10:00 to 12:30, and they have a group of about 7 children. We have been brainstorming about EASY activities they can do, that lend themselves well to the younger set (ages 3 to 5) and the "older" group (ages 6 to 8). Suggestions, anyone? This is really his thing, so I am trying to play a minimal role here.
Thanks!
Kelly in FL
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Dawn
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| Posted: June 25 2005 at 5:17am | IP Logged
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Hi Kelly,
I also have a dino-crazy 10 yo  He had a dinosaur theme b.day party when he was 4 and I remember one activity that was a hit was digging for dinosaurs ... we buried small dinosaurs in our sandbox and then had the kids take turns looking for dinosaurs, using digging "tools" (craft sticks and q-tips) and wearing safety goggles.
Once they found a dinosaur they brought it over to a table, and with help from a mom or dad, "classified" their find according to its prehistoric age (jurassic, triassic, cretaceous etc.)
Each child took their finds and added them to a small divided shoe box. In the end they all had a little natural history museum to bring home (it also got filled with small rocks and plants)
We didn't do this particular project, but another idea is to hang a long sheet of paper along the wall and decorate the background to look like a prehistoric jungle. The kids can go over to it and add their own drawings of dinosaurs, plants, volcanoes etc.
You could also do little dioramas using shoe boxes and small toy dinosaurs ...
What a nice thing for your son to do for his younger siblings! I will have to mention this to my son and see if he gets inspired
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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Kelly
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| Posted: June 25 2005 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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Dawn,
Great ideas (and easy!). We had thought of boiling bones from the grocery store and putting them in the sandbox for a "dig", but I like your idea more. They are thinking that on the first day they'll teach about the various time periods of the Dinosaur era, so the sandbox/dinosaur dig would be a PERFECT activity for that. I think they are planning to do a really easy lap book for them to take home on the last day. Polaroid pics of the "dig" would work great for that.
I keep exhorting ds to have one sedentary learning activity, then something outdoorsy and active, then snack and a swim or sprinklers or slip-n-slide or something.
Thanks for the great ideas. Kelly in FL
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Marybeth
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| Posted: June 27 2005 at 7:33am | IP Logged
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I just had a dino theme b-day party for my 5 yr. old ds. We played hot fossil instead of hot potato which they really liked. Then I had them run around and when the music stopped they had to freeze like a dinosaur. I printed some dinosaur coloring pages off the computer for my ds to use for his thank you notes. That may be good for the front cover of the lapbook or just a quiet activity.
I know www.enchantedlearning.com has some dinosaur theme pages and they may have some easy activities to use.
What a wonderful son you have!!! 
Marybeth
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Kelly
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| Posted: June 27 2005 at 10:05pm | IP Logged
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Love it! "Hot Fossil" and "Dino Freeze" are now both on the list of activities (the boys will use the Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" piece that is used in the dinosaur piece in Fantasia I, so we can work in a little "Culch-uh", too). Thanks for the great ideas.
This Camp thing is catching. Now my 12 yo dd and her friend are setting up a girls camp for ages 4 to 8, "Mermaids: Exploring the Ocean" and are planning all manner of ocean-oriented activities. And 8 yo ds wants to do a (are you ready...) MUSKETEERS CAMP! Besides fencing, what on earth would THAT involve? Eating French food? Playing pin-the-mustache on Cardinal Richelieu? I love the creativity, but I am seriously stymied on this one...
Thanks again for all the dino inspiration .
Kelly in FL
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: June 28 2005 at 8:18am | IP Logged
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Kelly, I'm in the middle of planning a dinosaur birthday party for our 3 and 4 year olds.
Some activities could be:
Matching/memory game with dino cards. Make your own using one of the following links: Kids Domain Dino Clip Art or Bry-Back Manor Dino Match cards
Dinosaur Egg Hatch (very active game for 6-8yo group?). Divide the kids into 2 teams. Give each child a blown up balloon w/ a dinoasaur sticker inside. The first child in each team tries to "hatch" their "egg" by sitting on the balloon. First child must hatch his egg (or at least give it a good try!) before the next one in line gets a chance. When they break their "egg" they keep the prize. First team finished wins.
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Marybeth
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| Posted: June 28 2005 at 8:42am | IP Logged
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Janette,
I want to try the dino hatch game with my dh and ds...I think we could have many laughs with that one! 
Kelly--glad I could help! I was wondering if in the Musketeer camp if you could make capes to wear? My sister got some very cheap at the party store and had kids decorate them for her son's Superhero party.
Other than that, I am totally stumped! I guess that happens when one has very creative children!!! 
Have fun and good luck!!
Marybeth
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Kelly
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| Posted: June 28 2005 at 11:20pm | IP Logged
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OOh, capes. Good idea.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Kelly in FL
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Kelly
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| Posted: June 30 2005 at 2:00am | IP Logged
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Janette,
Love the Dino Hatch game idea!
Kelly in FL
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Marybeth
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| Posted: June 30 2005 at 11:11am | IP Logged
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Kelly,
When this camp is over and you can relax please let us know how it all went. I am so intrigued!
Good luck!
Marybeth
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Kelly
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| Posted: July 21 2005 at 11:17pm | IP Logged
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Well, I'm still knee-deep in Dinosaur Camp, but just wanted to briefly report that it's going swimmingly, thanks to all the great ideas you all provided! We ended up dividing the five days into the Paleozoic Era (Mon); Mesozoic Era:Triassic Period (Tues); Mesozoic Era: Jurassic Period (Wed.); Mesozoic Era: Cretaceous Period (Th); and tomorrow is the Cenozoic Era. Within that framework, among other activities, we have learned about different types of fossilization (Paleozoic day, we did insects in amber---I used gel candle wax, worked great, easy!); Triassic-simulated carbonized remains by doing plant rubbings of Triassic age plants from the yard; Jurassic day, plaster of paris mold velociraptor claws and also feathered models of archaeopteryx; Creatacous day: Maiasaur eggs out of papier mache; Friday, imprint fossils into plaster of paris. It's been a lot of fun.
One of the big hits has been the daily dinosaur "dig" in the sandbox (your idea, Dawn). Ds sorted the bags of dinos from the dollar store into appropriate eras/ages, and each morning puts them in the sand box, whereupon on each day, the appropriate era critters are excavated, then discussed. Tomorrow, for Cenozoic, we have plastic Cenozoic creatures waiting to be excavated, as well as MONSTER size dog bones I bought at the pet store for our great danes, huge ribs and femurs (to simulate prehistoric mammals) which we will put aside for our doggies post-excavation! I also called the La Brea Tar Pits in LA and they sent a couple bottles tar to simulate our plastic models getting stuck in tar! Very helpful, the tar pit folks 
The Dinosaur Hatch Game was a HUGE crowd pleaser---thanks Janette, everyone loved this game and it worked well for the mixed ages. We all got a good laugh out of it...tho in the end we had a few tears from losing teams, then more laughs when someone announced they KNEW why the Maiasaurs went extinct...they must have been crybabies It was very funny.
If anyone decides to do a dino camp, I highly recommend the BBC movie "Chased by Dinosaurs". Ds told me about it, and it's been a life-saver. It's like Steve the Crocodile Hunter, but back in time. We let them watch one episode (30 minutes)every day while we prepare the next fossil-making activity for them. It's really a great movie, funny but informative and very entertaining (and a real help to give us that little breathing space time for preparation).
In the end, ds had 16 campers! We should have capped it at 12, but it's been fun for everyone, crowds aside. Because of the size, it has ended up being more work for *Mom* than envisioned, but ds is duly appreciative of the help and everyone has pitched in. Definitely a great learning experience for all.
Thanks again for all the input and ideas!
Kelly in the Cenozoic Era
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Marybeth
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| Posted: July 21 2005 at 11:44pm | IP Logged
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Kelly,
It all sounds like a dinosaur lovers dream.
Thanks for the update. I have been thinking about your ds and wondering how things were progressing.
Enjoy the last day of camp!
God bless,
Marybeth
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Dinosaur "Camp"
